


A Pawn in the Sand

by duaba



Category: Naruto
Genre: Chuunin Exams, F/M, Suna Village
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-21 12:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 59,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6051922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duaba/pseuds/duaba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hitomi lost her vision at an early age and has learned to see the world in her own way - through the pieces of a Shogi game. Living in an environment where the shinobis hold all the power, she is a pawn who can’t survive without a king. She just never expected that the king she’s betting on is a monster.<br/>(Takes place right before the Chūnin Exams. Gaara x OC - will be a slow romance.  Will feature tons of Original Characters as this takes place predominantly in Suna.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Perfect Pawn

Hitomi knelt patiently as she waited for her father to make the next move. The tatami room he had specifically designed in their house was for tranquility and relaxation but Hitomi had always found it the most uncomfortable place to be. They were the only private residence in Sunagakure to even have a room like this.

The flat pillow under Hitomi's knees, although made with expensive and soft fabric, did not stop the aching in her legs that she had come to expect. It usually arrived at least halfway into her and her father's first game of shogi.

Rare desert flowers lined against the back of the room and its perfume would usually leave Hitomi with a headache by the start of a second game. Although Hitomi couldn't see the flowers, she knew they were brightly colored and very beautiful. Her father would only want the best.

The room was also too quiet for Hitomi's comfort. The household staff worked under strict orders to keep movement to a minimum whenever the master and his daughter was in there. Same applied to when they had guests. Usually, Hitomi heard the shuffling of feet, the scrubbing of floors, and the slight whisperings among the help that they thought she didn't notice. People seemed to think that just because Hitomi was blind, her hearing wasn't too great either.

As much as the room bothered her, Hitomi was as still as a statue and hid away any signs that most of her senses were being steadily attacked. Hitomi might not be able to see but she knew the importance of appearance. Her father had made sure of that.

This room was a subtle reflection of the wealth and power of Hitomi's family and it was confined to this room only. After all, a shinobi did not bother with extravagance or luxury and should not get lured into the temptation of money.

Hitomi's father, Katsuo Saboten, was the picture perfect example of what a Suna shinobi strived to be. He had his sand turban wrapped around neatly on his head, hiding his short and soft black hair. He wore no forehead protector as his long beige robe was enough to signify to the village his role as one of the Council members.

He watched his daughter like a hawk and then his dark brown eyes moved to the game table between the two.

_Clack._

"7-6 pawn," her father said in a hushed voice.

Hitomi gracefully lifted her hand while pulling back the sleeve of her dark green kimono with the other. She ran the tip of her finger over a shogi piece in front of her, feeling the grooves to confirm that it was the pawn, and then daintily pushed it forward. She brought her hands back into her lap and she nodded her head to her father.

There was another minute of silence before Hitomi could hear any movement from across the board.

_Clack._

"6-5, lance," her opponent stated.

Hitomi tilted her head to the side. Her father was playing aggressively today and experience taught her that it could only mean two things. Either he was feeling extremely confident about something or extremely anxious. She smiled internally and pushed her lance piece forward. Fighting his aggression with her own was the best way to get to the bottom of it.

"Hmph," her father huffed.

So it was anxiety.

"Is something bothering you, Father?" Hitomi asked, "Did the Council not vote your way on something?"

Katsuo's eyes narrowed at Hitomi but a small proud smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He should've known that his clever daughter would cut right to the heart of the matter. After all, he had taught her everything she knew about reading people. Still, despite being impressed, he knew that this conversation was not going to be in his daughter's favor.

"Both the Kazekage-sama and the Council voted in my favor," Katsuo replied as he picked up a small wooden tile, "But that is not what is on my mind. I have some bad news."

_Clack._

"5-6, pawn," he stated.

There was no flash of surprise or worry that crossed his daughter's face. She knelt silent and still, which was a miraculous feat for a 12 year old girl in and of itself. Her eyelids didn't even flutter and were kept solidly closed. She was calm, poised, and everything he had shaped her to be. The perfect political pawn.

"It's about the Chunin exams…"

His eyes scanned her face slowly to gauge her reaction. There still wasn't any.

"I know I promised I would take you the next time they held a cross-village exam," he continued, "But I will need to break that agreement. I can't take you to Konoha with me anymore."

His daughter's chin lifted slightly and her lips pursed just a touch. It was subtle but did not go unnoticed by Katsuo's wary eyes. His daughter was not happy with this news. "May I know why?"

"No," Katsuo said and looked down at the board, "Not this time."

"I'm sure you have your reasons," Hitomi kept her tone calm and steady, despite the anger building up inside her, "But I also have my reasons to go, Father."

She was met with the sound of wood brushing against wood. "My decision is final," her father answered, "Knight 7-3."

Hitomi's clenched fists were hidden under her long sleeves as she pressed them against her lap. Her father was still playing aggressively so something else was weighing on his mind. It wasn't just about her not going to Konoha. He wouldn't be anxious over breaking a promise like that anyways. He wasn't a man of his word. He was a politician at heart, after all.

"Is something going to happen at Konoha?," she asked softly, "Is the Council planning something?"

She could feel the tension in the air and her father's sharp inhale. "That is none of your concern," he said gruffly, "And it is your move now."

Hitomi kept her hands where they were. "How can I play when someone has already moved my pieces on my behalf?" she asked.

She could practically hear her father's jaw clench. "I know I have always discussed Council matters with you but this time, I can't," he said with a hint of frustration, "This is something that you are too young to deal with."

"Is this about my age?" Hitomi asked, "Or about the fact that I'm not a kunoichi?"

"I admit that if you were a shinobi then it would help in the matter but like I said, this is one political lesson that is too early for you to learn from. Now, it is your move."

Hitomi refused to budge. "I have beaten you consistently for the last three months, Father, and I will win this game too."

"You cannot know the outcome of a game without seeing it through. No matter how many rounds you've won," he lectured, "There are more possible moves in a game of shogi than drops of water in the ocean."

"But it's still a number you can count."

_Thwack!_

Katsuo slapped his daughter across the face. Her expression was unmoving. She was already expecting the punishment. Her cheek was starting to redden but that seemed to be the only effect it had on her, which angered her father even more. "I will not have this discussion anymore!" he ordered.

She bowed her head, feeling her long black hair spill over her shoulders. "Yes, Father," she replied calmly, "I apologize for talking back. Shall we continue the game?"

"I accept your apology but I am no longer in the mood to play," Katsuo said and got up to his feet. He slid open the rice papered door and glared down at the muscular shinobi at his feet. He was asleep on his side with his head resting against his left hand while a heavy naginata sat on his back.

"Hitomi?" Katsuo requested from his daughter without taking his eyes off of the offensive napper.

"Tamotsu!" Hitomi called out and immediately the napper opened his eyes, revealing dark grey irises. He grinned lazily up at the head of the household.

"Oh. Game done already? That was fast," he yawned without even moving from his position, "She's beating ya quicker and quicker, Katsuo-senpai. Ya better find her a better opponent or else I won't get my nap time anymore."

"Get out of my way," Katsuo said tersely, "And put your headband back on. You are still a shinobi of this village, after all."

Tamotsu's smile never faltered while he sat up and scooted out of Katsuo's way. He stretched out his tan arms and then scratched his chin, which was littered with dark brown stubble that was many shades darker than his actual, sandy brown hair.

He placed his head cover back on his head and then tied his symbolic Sunakagure forehead protector over it. It was the only indication that he was an active shinobi as he wore dark grey sweatpants and a loose red t-shirt with a happy face painted sloppily on it in yellow. He watched lazily as Katsuo walked down the hallway and into his office. Someone's in a mood again.

The shinobi shrugged it off and then casually strolled over to his employer. He didn't even bother helping her to her feet and just scooped her up in his arms. He was aware that the girl needed time for her blood to circulate back through her legs after these meetings with her father.

His good humored grin left his face when he saw the handprint on hers. "Tch," he grunted, "Katsuo-san seems to be more and more on edge these days."

She sighed and folded her hands lap while he carried her towards the kitchen. "Wasn't entirely his fault. I provoked him."

Tamotsu rolled his eyes. "Little Hito?," he asked sarcastically, "The innocent princess?"

"I know you're joking," she replied solemnly, "But you and I both know I am no princess. I am just a pawn."

Tamotsu scowled as he brashly kicked open the door to the kitchen and marched in. It was being occupied by the housekeeper, the new cook, and a young, blonde woman. The woman's blue eyes narrowed and she wordlessly went to the freezer while the housekeeper and cook scrambled to their feet. Tamotsu set Hitomi on the kitchen counter while the woman placed an ice pack against Hitomi's cheek.

"Thank you, Michiko," Hitomi said quietly.

The cook, who was a middle-aged man with scars all along his hands and arms, looked at the old housekeeper in surprise. "I thought you said the lady of the house was blind?," he murmured to his new boss.

"Blind? Yes. Deaf? No," Tamotsu barked with his back turned to the cook.

The cook began to sweat nervously but then the lady in question smiled politely at him. It caught him off guard because she had turned her head so that she could face him full on as if she knew exactly where he stood. Except he was sure she couldn't, not just because she was blind, but because her eyes were still closed.

"It's okay," she said, placing a hand on Tamotsu's arm to indicate no offense was taken, "He's not the first and he won't be the last to wonder that."

The housekeeper wrung her hands on the bottom of her apron. "I'm so sorry, Hitomi-san. It's his first day and I haven't gotten around to telling him everything yet."

Hitomi directed her smile at the housekeeper. "It's okay, Kinu-san and if you keep doing that to your apron, I'll have to buy you two a year instead of just one," she said with a smile, "Besides, it's my fault for coming in here so unexpectedly."

She then returned her attention back to the new cook. "Kyo-san, I remember on your application you are a retired shinobi?"

Kyo nodded and immediately felt foolish. He cleared his throat. "Y-Y-Yes, Hitomi-san. That is correct but how do you know what was on my application?"

"Idiot," Tamotsu scoffed, 'Ya think Granny Kinu does all the hirings by herself? Hitomi-san is the lady of the house so all the staff answer to her."

Hitomi kept her focus on Kyo. "You'll have to excuse Tamotsu. He's grumpy when he doesn't get to nap."

"More like when he's hungover," Michiko muttered.

"You're one to talk, Hito," Tamotsu grumbled at the same time.

"But since you are familiar with jutsu, then this makes it easier to explain," Hitomi continued and choosing to ignore her two companions, "I am blind. I can't see what is physically around me. However, my mother was a sensor type and it seemed that it passed down to me."

"She can see our chakras," Tamotsu explained bluntly and then finally turned around to glare at the cook, "Now ya know so get out."

The housekeeper quickly bowed her head towards Hitomi and then nudged the cook to do the same. "Please excuse us, Hitomi-san," Kinu requested.

Hitomi nodded her head. "You're excused."

"Thank you, Hitomi-san," both Kinu and Kyo said at the same time and rushed out the kitchen. When the door shut behind them the young woman, who was still holding onto the ice pack, kicked Tamotsu hard in the shin.

"Ow! What was that for, ya damn stray?!" he huffed at his attacker.

"Men," Michiko huffed, "You should be more polite to Kinu-san and Kyo. They're the ones who are in charge of our food and housing, you know? And as for your father, Hito, he should know better than to hit a girl in the face. What if it leaves a bruise?! The face is the moneymaker you know."

"No wonder when we found ya, you were broke and near death," Tamotsu grunted, which earned him a kick to his other shin, "Ow! Stop doing that!"

"Drunk," Michiko growled.

"Tramp," Tamotsu snapped back.

"Enough, you two," Hitomi said and the two grown-ups instantly straightened up.

Hitomi took the ice pack from Michiko's hand and held it to on her own. "My father is a careful man so he wouldn't leave a mark on me. This was just a reminder," she said quietly, "He trained me to be who I am today but he could easily take that all away too."

"Hito, please stop playing these mind games with your father," Michiko pleaded, "I really can't stand it. Your father hit you for a reason and I know you didn't dodge the hit on purpose either. In fact, I don't even have to be there to know you provoked it."

Tamotsu scowl returned to his face and he leaned against the clay wall near the doorway as he shared a look with Michiko. He folded his arms across his chest. He always hated this topic.

"You are a person and not a tool, Hito. Just because your father thinks he can marry ya off to strengthen political ties one day doesn't make it right," he huffed, "And you shouldn't be involved in your father's ploys. I swear, sometimes I forget that he is a shinobi and think he's just a mouthpiece for the Daimyo"

"You're right. I shouldn't be involved in my father's political ploys," Hitomi said, which took her two guards by surprise. In the long years that they had been under her employment, neither of them had ever heard her take a direct stand against her father.

Hitomi turned towards Tamotsu with a determined look on her face. "I should be doing my own."

That completely blindsided Tamotsu and Michiko and they gaped at the girl. "What?!"

"Father just told me that he will not be taking me to the Chunin Exams," she stated, "But many important people will be there, which means I need to be there."

"Why would Katsuo-san suddenly decide not to take you?" Michiko demanded.

"He wouldn't tell me but I plan on going so I can find out why," she said, "Michiko. Tamotsu, get our things ready because we will be going to Konoha two days from now."

Michiko's eyes widened. "Wait! If your father finds out-"

"Father leaves tomorrow," Hitomi replied, "By the time he realizes I'm gone, we would already be at Konoha."

"Katsuo-san is a reasonable man. Proud and overly confident, yes, but he's smart," Tamotsu argued, "Something dangerous must be happening at Konoha and that is why he doesn't want ya there.'

"Of course something dangerous is happening," Hitomi said patiently, "The monster has entered the Chunin exams and has already made it to the final round. It's also a gathering of very powerful people from villages with a violent history with each other. It's the most dangerous place to be but that's you and Michiko's problem. Not mine. I hired you two for a reason. Your purpose is to protect me."

Michiko let out a sigh of defeat. "And what is your purpose?"

A smirk grew on Hitomi's face. "To be my own perfect pawn."


	2. Spectators

**** "We are definitely lost," Michiko grumbled as she shot a dirty look over at Tamotsu, who held a sleeping Hitomi in front of him like a rag doll, "Ugh, if only Hito was awake, she'd be able to see which way to go."

"It's fine. We have plenty of time to find our way," Tamotsu grinned, "Besides, Hito needs her sleep. Sensory Jutsu takes out a lot of chakra and since Hito has no way of turning it off, she's constantly in need to replenish her-"

"Don't go babbling those shinobi nonsense to me," Michiko interrupted as she stomped down the dirt road, "Learning to run like one is enough for me…"

"Alright, alright," Tamotsu muttered under his breath, "Although your pace isn't exactly on the same level as a shinobi."

It had taken them four days to get across to Konoha and they had made it just in time. It was a lot more difficult than they had thought. They had to lie to the Suna guards that Hitomi was visiting a sick friend in the Land of Rivers. Then Michiko had to swipe the visiting permits from some unsuspecting out of towners. The former thief was under strict orders from Hitomi to target the ones who seemed like the gambling type and not the ones who just came to innocently spectate.

The interview process at Konoha's gate was fairly quick for Michiko and Hitomi but Tamotsu had a difficult time because of the naginata on his back. However, due to the fact that Suna and Konaha were allied, they eventually let them pass.

They had arrived in the middle of the night and the process of entering the village ate into their resting time. They ended up only getting under six hours of sleep. When they woke up, they made their way to the stadium but the village was a lot bigger than they had anticipated. Somehow they had found themselves away from the busy streets and in a large training ground.

_Boom. Boom. Boom._

Three fireworks shot off in the distance and both Tamotsu and Michiko's eyes widened. "It's all the way over there?!" Michiko shrieked and started to run in that direction, "Hurry up or else we're going to miss it!"

Tamotsu held Hitomi tighter to him and he ran forward. They didn't make it very far when they came across two young shinobis. One was a girl with short dark blue hair and one was a boy with messy brown hair. He had a puppy resting in the hood of his long grey jacket.

"Ah, are you two from around here?" Michiko asked excitedly, "Are you guys going to the exams? We are visitors and we got lost. Would you be able to show us the quickest way to get there?"

The boy with the puppy surveyed the two grown-ups and Hitomi. His eyes fell on the turban and forehead protector of Tamotsu. "Suna shinobis? But you're not in uniform...Are you a genin?"

"Who ya calling a genin?!" Tamotsu thundered.

"Who are you calling a shinobi?!" Michiko roared at the same time.

"Tamotsu is a jonin that is hired to protect me," Hitomi interrupted quietly, which took everyone by surprise, "So that's why there's no need for him to be in uniform...and Michiko is my companion."

Tamotsu let out a sigh of defeat. "Hito, you should say something when you wake up. It's so hard to tell with your eyes closed all the time."

"I thought I just did," Hitomi replied and then she tilted her head towards the two young shinobis, who were watching them warily, "Hello, I'm Hitomi Saboten, a civilian from Sunagakure. Are you two from Konohagakure?"

"Oh...H-h-hello," came the faint reply from the girl, "I-I-I'm-"

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka," the boy interrupted and then jutted a thumb at the puppy behind him, "And this is Akamaru. The girl over there is Hinata Hyuga. How come your eyes are closed?"

"She's blind, ya loud mouth brat," Tamotsu growled.

"Hinata Hyuga-san...Kiba Inuzuka-san...and Akamaru," Hitomi stated, committing their name and chakra to her memory.

To Hitomi, everyone's chakra nature was like a thumbprint. In her mind's eye, each person was shrouded in the flames of their chakra and it outlined their body shape too. With Tamotsu's help over the years, they had learned that brighter the color, the stronger the chakras. They also discovered that the different colors meant the different chakra types.

The more erratic the flames flickered, the less control of the person had over his or her chakra so that usually meant it was a civilian. Genins typically would have flare ups every now and then like a bonfire that was getting stoked, while chunins had more of a pulsing flame. Jonins burned the brightest and the flames flickered around the body and that is how Hitomi saw Tamotsu.

His whole body had flames of red and white around him while Michiko was a flaring blue. She would've been an exceptional water-user but Michiko had no intention of being a shinobi.

"Tamotsu, you can put me down now," Hitomi stated and Tamotsu set her on the ground She walked forward to Hinata and she studied her with her mind's eye, "Hinata-san...You're a member of the Hyuga clan? Does this mean you have the Byakugan?"

Her forthright statement took Hinata aback and she shot a nervous glance at Kiba, who took a protective step towards his comrade. "Yeah, what's it to you?" he demanded.

"Are your eyes really pure white?" Hitomi asked.

"Ano...I-I-I-," Hinata started to say.

"Oy, leave Hinata alone!" Kiba shouted as his puppy barked in support.

Hitomi took a step back and she smiled apologetically at Hinata. "I'm sorry to pry. I'm just naturally curious about Dojutsus, especially yours…You see, you might have white eyes...but I have black ones."

To Tamotsu and Michiko's astonishment, Hitomi opened her eyes, which was something she rarely did even in private. Her eyes were completely black and it covered where the whites of the eyes should've been. It was unpleasant for others to see, which is why Hitomi had gotten into the habit of keeping her eyes closed at all times. Hinata and Kiba gaped at Hitomi, who slowly lowered her eyelids.

"I don't have a Dojutsu though," Hitomi continued, "All I am is a blind person who can sense other people's chakras. Nothing compared to the legendary Byakugan."

"Ano…," Hinata said softly as she looked over at Hitomi's long kimono, which was not conducive to fighting, "Are you a kunoichi?"

"No," Hitomi replied sadly, "They kicked me out of the Academy when I lost my sight at the age of 6."

"Why...Why are you telling me all of this?" Hinata asked.

"Because I want to be your friend,' Hitomi said sincerely, "I may not be a shinobi but I do want to bring peace and strength to Suna. The only way I can do that at the moment is by forging bonds. What better bond than with someone from the Hyuga clan?"

"Hito…" Tamotsu muttered. _Is that why you wanted to come to the Chunin Exams?_

"Tch," Kiba scoffed, "So you only want to be friends with Hinata because she's a Hyuga?"

"Better than wanting to be her enemy because of it," Hitomi answered. She turned back to Hinata, "What do you say, Hinata-san? Will you be my friend? I promise you I mean you no harm. Suna and the Leaf are allies after all."

There was a long, drawn out silence before Hinata finally nodded her head. "E-En.

Immediately, Tamotsu lifted Hitomi by the waist and he looked incredulously at his employer. "Oy, Hito. Is this why you wanted to come to the Chunin Exams? To make friends? What exactly is going on in that little head of yours?"

There was silence and then her head started to nod. Tamotsu's eyebrows flew to the top of his head. "She fell asleep again!"

* * *

They could hear the cheering and clapping even before they entered the stadium. Michiko shot an annoyed look at Tamotsu as they walked up flights and flights of stairs to find available seats. "We got here way too late," she hissed, "We're never going to find good seats."

Kiba raised an eyebrow and looked over at the sleeping Hitomi in Tamotsu's arms, "You're sitting with a blind girl and you're worried about the view?"

That earned him a smack on the head from Michiko. "Well, _I'm_ not blind and I'd like to be able to see the fight too."

"Ano...Is Hitomi-san, okay?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Yeah," Tamotsu grinned, "She drains chakra very easily and she falls asleep constantly to make up for it but don't worry. She'll wake up for the match. She never misses anything."

"Woof woof!"

"Nice, Akamaru!" Kiba cheered and pointed towards a bench on their left, "There's some empty seats there. Let's grab it before someone can get to it. Quick!"

Without warning, Tamotsu dashed from his spot and appeared right at the seat with Hitomi sleeping in his lap. Kiba and Hinata's eyes widened. _He's fast._

He turned to the group and smiled at the visibly frustrated Michiko. "What? He said to be quick!"

"You're making a spectacle of yourself," Michiko snapped as she stomped down the aisle with Hinata and Kiba. They sat themselves down with Tamotsu at the very end of the aisle followed by Michiko, Hinata, and finally Kiba and Akamaru.

"Looks like Sasuke hasn't come yet," Kiba commented as he eyed the field below.

Tamotsu looked down and saw the proctor, the Sand Siblings, and four of Konoha genins. His eyes narrowed at the Suna shinobi with the gourd on his back. The jonin clenched his teeth and fought off the urge to grab the sake bottle he had tucked in his weapons pouch. Michiko shot a concerned look over at Tamotsu. "You going to be okay?"

Before Tamotsu could answer he felt Hitomi's hand touch his arm. He looked down at the top of her head and he scoffed. "You're awake, Hito?"

She nodded. "The brightness of his chakra woke me up."

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow. "What? Gaara's chakra?"

Hitomi shook her head and then pointed a finger in the direction of the swirling chakra that burned as two separate flames but both just as blindingly bright in her mind. "Him."

"Th-th-that's Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered.

"Naruto?" Hitomi asked and tilted her head to the side.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Michiko read out loud from the program that was handed to them at the entrance, "He's supposed to be in the first fight with Neji Hyuga. Both are Konoha shinobis."

Hitomi turned her head towards Hinata. "He's fighting your family?"

"Ano...Brother Neji is my cousin," Hinata answered.

Hitomi leaned back against Tamotsu. Her fingers steepled together and she tucked her hands below her chin. Tamotsu bowed his head and he grinned against Hitomi's ear. He could practically hear the gears churning in her head. "Whatcha thinking, little princess?" he whispered.

Hitomi dropped her hands and then she drew her finger on Tamotsu's forearm. He stiffened when he felt her writing against his skin. _Jinchuriki vs. Byakugan?!_

"Oy, are ya sure, Hito?" he asked and Hitomi nodded.

"Two chakras in one body," Hitomi murmured, "There's no mistaking it."

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow and then a smirk grew on his lips. "Well...this should be an interesting fight."

"Who else is in the tournament, Michiko?" Hitomi asked.

"After this is Gaara versus Sasuke Uchiha from Konoha-" Michiko started to say and this time even Hitomi tensed along with Tamotsu.

_Jinchurikis vs. Dojutsus?!_ , Hitomi thought to herself, _Coming here was right._

"Oh! Then it's Kankuro against Shino Aburame, who is also from Konoha," Michiko continued, "And last match will be Temari versus Shikamaru Nara, also from Konoha."

"Sand against Leaf," Hitomi said and then she turned to the blonde, "Michiko…?"

"Ah," Michiko said and got up to her feet.

"Where is she going?" Kiba asked with a frown as he watched her walk up the aisle, "I thought she wanted to see the fight."

Hitomi smiled at Kiba. "She's just getting something from me."

"Getting what?" Kiba asked.

_Information_ , Hitomi thought but kept her smile fixed on her face. "Just some snacks," she lied.

Michiko was not a shinobi but she was something much more valuable to Hitomi. She was a former street rat. Her natural survival instinct and her ability to blend in was what convinced Hitomi to take her in. The fact that she wasn't a shinobi made it easier for people to drop their guard around her too. She was someone who knew how to move in a nonlinear fashion. Michiko was her bishop and Tamotsu, with his straight forward shinobi training, was her rook.

"Ah, looks like the Hokage is about to start the match," Tamotsu said as he turned Hitomi's head in that direction.

The guidance was unnecessary as it was easy for Hitomi to locate him. She had never seen someone with that many different chakra natures. All five colors lit up within the man like a rainbow flame. It was no wonder he was the Hokage.

"Everyone! Thank you very much for coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and the Chunin Exams," the Hokage announced. His voice was old but friendly in Hitomi's ear, "We will now begin the final round matches for the eight who made it through the preliminaries! Please stay and watch until the end."

The crowd cheered around him and Hitomi moved her attention to the people surrounding the Hokage. She wasn't surprised to see strong jonins nearby, since Kages still needed some security, no matter how powerful they were.

Then she stilled. There was someone near the Hokage with chakra Hitomi had never seen before. He had all five chakra natures too but the form of his chakra was entirely new to her. It wasn't like a flame. Instead, to Hitomi, it seemed to ooze and glob together unnaturally. _There are some odd people in Konoha_ , she thought as she turned her attention back to the field below.

She counted eight people on the field. She could see one of them was taller than the rest and his chakra was steady. _The proctor...which means…_

"You said Sasuke Uchiha is not here yet...Right, Kiba-san?" she asked.

"Ah," Kiba grumbled, "That arrogant jerk...doesn't even want to show up to watch his own teammate fight. He's probably going to make a big flashy entrance too."

"Who is on his team? Neji Hyuga or Naruto Uzumaki?" Hitomi asked, remembering that Sasuke was in the second fight.

"Naruto," Kiba said, "And he's a jerk too but don't underestimate him. I made that mistake in the second round."

Hitomi tilted her head in confusion. _Underestimate...a jinchuriki? Do they not know?_

"To think that brat got would survive up to this point…" Hitomi heard someone mutter on the other side of Hinata.

"En," someone else replied back, "I wonder if this is as far as it goes for those who survived just by luck...That Naruto."

"No matter how you look at it, you can't beat the Hyuga clan," the first person mused.

"And how does it look to you, Hito?"

Hitomi lifted her chin up in surprise and she turned her head towards Tamotsu. She didn't have to see to know that he had directed all the attention on her. The two men who were commenting paused as well to listen to her reply.

"Anything can happen if you play your cards right," Hitomi said, "Even if it is by luck."


	3. Will of Wind

**** Hitomi was at the edge of her seat but completely in the figurative sense as she was sitting very still in Michiko's vacated spot. Hitomi kept her head lowered but her mind was fixated on the fight below her. It was clear that between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga the latter had more discipline and skill as a shinobi. However, Naruto had Neji beat in terms of fervor and stamina.

He had surprised the audience by performing a perfect jonin level Shadow Clone Jutsu. Not only that, but he created enough to fill the entire field. There had to be at least fifty of them. The clones bombarded the Byakuggan user but he easily dodged the blows.

Hitomi watched the entire time with her fingers steepled together and the sides of forefingers pressed to her lips. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by her oldest friend. "What are the odds, princess?"

"At the beginning? 60 - 40 in Neji-san's favor," Hitomi replied back, hearing the grin in his voice.

"But now?"

"70 - 30," Hitomi stated just as Neji evaded all of the attacks. Tamotsu let out a disappointed sigh.

"Really? Because I'm kinda rooting for that blonde kid. He's got guts, ya know?"

"He's crafty and he has the potential to be a lot stronger," Hitomi admitted, "But his control on chakra is unstable."

"So if you were to bet, you'd bet on the Hyuga?" Tamotsu asked and Hitomi shook her head.

"No. I'd bet on Naruto-san."

That took even Kiba and Hinata by surprise and their heads snapped towards Hitomi.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Oy, didn't you just say Neji has a higher chance of winning?!" Kiba demanded and Hitomi smiled against her fingers.

"He does," Hitomi said, "But that's not what Tamotsu asked. He asked me who I would bet on."

"Why would you bet on Naruto knowing he has only a 30% chance of winning?" Kiba asked.

"Because a chance is still a chance," Hitomi said, "And I think Naruto-san is a chance worth taking."

Tamotsu smile grew bigger and he leaned back in his seat. "Ya like him too, Hito?"

Hito nodded and the smile faded from her lips. "They are all looking at him like they look at me. Like a failure."

Tamotsu's eyes narrowed with concern and he studied the girl. "Hito…"

"Ahhhhh!" Neji's battle cry put the end to the discussion and they watched as he suddenly repelled Naruto with a dome of enormous chakra. For a brief second, Hitomi could not only see Neji but also the outlines of the dirt and grass beneath Neji's feet.

"Dang it," Naruto grunted as he got up from the ground.

"This is the end. You're within my range of attack," Neji announced. He brought one arm forward with the other one back and he lowered his center of gravity, "8 Trigrams, 64 Palms."

Hitomi's attention didn't sway even when she heard Hinata let out a little gasp next to her. She watched closely as Neji unleashed a flurry of taijutsu attacks on Naruto. He aimed precisely at Naruto's chakra points, which Hitomi couldn't see, but what she did see was Naruto's main chakra getting dimmer and dimmer. Naruto flew back and landed hard on his back.

"I pressed all 64 chakra points. You can't even stand now," Neji boasted to the fallen Naruto, "You're kneeling down before power that can't be changed. You should understand your powerlessness now."

Neji let out a scoff. "Your dreams will come true if you work hard? That's just an illusion."

"Get up...Get up, Naruto-san…," Hitomi whispered quietly against her fingers, "Get up and prove him wrong...Prove everyone wrong. Get-"

Hinata coughed violently and Hitomi immediately looked worriedly over at her. Hinata's chakra was flickering sporadically and abnormally. Hitomi reached over and put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata-san?"

"Oy, you're coughing up blood," Kiba exclaimed, which made Hitomi stiffen, "You've still got damage from that match. Hinata, hang in there."

"What match?" Hitomi demanded.

"She fought against Neji. That's how he qualified for the finals," Kiba answered as Hinata began to cough again.

"I can take a look at her," a soft male voice said.

They all turned to the newcomer, who stood on the aisle right next to Tamotsu. He was cloaked in black and had an Anbu mask on. To Hitomi, he had a brown, blue and white chakra flame and his chakra control was exceptional. It barely flickered at all.

"Who are you?" Tamotsu asked, putting a protective arm around Hitomi and scooted himself further into the bench to create some space between Hitomi and the strange masked man.

"I'm a doctor," he stated.

"Ah, if that's the case," Kiba said as he helped Hinata to her feet. Hitomi grabbed Hinata's hand just as she passed her. Hinata looked down at Hitomi, who had her head lowered but a small smile on her lips.

"Don't worry, Hinata-san. It's not over," Hitomi said, "Naruto-san still has a chance."

Hinata's eyes widened and she turned to the field just as Naruto got up to his feet.

"Come with me," the medical ninja said and he ushered Hinata and Kiba away.

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow at his ward. "How did you know that she was rooting for Naruto and not her own cousin?"

"She called him Naruto-kun," Hitomi replied back, "Also, her breathing quickens the most whenever Naruto-san gets hit."

"I thought you were concentrating on the match," Tamotsu grinned, "Didn't realize you were spying on your new friend too."

"I'm not spying...I noticed," Hitomi stated, "There's a difference. Now please be quiet and let me watch the fight."

"Yes, Hito- _sama_ ," Tamotsu teased as he turned his attention down to the field as well.

Naruto wasn't standing quite as tall as he was before but he was still on his feet with a determined look on his face. "Why?" he demanded to Neji, "It's clear that you're strong...So….why did you, with a look like you've seen it all, go after Hinata mentally, who was trying so hard?"

"It has nothing to do with you," Neji retorted.

"Mocking Hinata...Selfishly labeling her a failure as you please...head family, branch family...I don't know what happened to you, but I won't forgive the jerk who calls another person a failure!" Naruto shouted.

"Head family? Branch family?" Tamotsu asked.

"Father told me that in order to make sure the Byakugan didn't fall into the wrong hands, the Hyuga clan is separated into two families with the branch family serving the main ones," Hitomi said softly, "It seems that it's true."

Tamotsu gasped at something and Hitomi tilted her head. "What?"

"The Hyuga just took off his shinobi headband," Tamotsu said, "He has a seal on his forehead."

"This accursed mark was inscribed on my forehead with the Curse Mark Arts when I was four," Neji explained to Naruto but it was loud enough for the stadium to hear.

Hitomi frowned as she listened to the Hyuga's dark history and its extent to prevent the Byakugan to fall into the wrong hands. The branch family's purpose was to serve the head family, which was a bitter pill to swallow for Neji's father, who had been born just mere minutes after Hinata's father. Just those few minutes was enough to place Hinata's father as the head.

That resentment passed down to Neji and it was only fueled by the death of his father. Neji's father substituted for Hinata's father and died in his place to prevent a war with the Land of Lightning.

"Even though they were twins, with nearly equal power, their destinies were already set by who was born first and born later," Neji said, "And then this match...Your destiny was decided at the point when I became your opponent. Your destiny is to lose to me for sure."

"Destiny…" Hitomi murmured to herself, "Mother wouldn't have liked hearing that."

* * *

  _\- Flashback: 6 years ago, Hitomi: 6 years old -_

Hitomi sat quietly at her desk with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her head was lowered and she kept her eyes on her hands. If she looked at them long enough without blinking, she would be able to see her hands clearly but every time she blinked, her eyes would reset and for a brief moment her world would become dark. She could hear her mother and teacher talking at the front of the classroom and Hitomi fought back the tears that were welling up in the back of her eyes.

Eyesight. Target. Accident. Kunai. Hurt. Child.

Those were the only words she could make out but Hitomi already expected it. Her eyes had been acting weird ever since the start of the semester but she had kept it quiet this entire time, praying that it would go away. However, now that she had accidentally wounded one of her classmates because she couldn't see the target, there was no hiding it anymore. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. She could no longer be a shinobi if she can't even see.

_Thwack._

Hitomi's head snapped up at the sound and she blinked furiously. Was it her eyesight again? She must be seeing things because the scene in front of her could not be real. Her mother, the usually calm Rika, had grabbed her teacher by the throat and slammed him hard up against the blackboard. Her mother's long, brown ponytail swayed back and forth from the impact.

"What kind of teacher are you?!" Rika demanded as Hitomi's sensei struggled against her grip. Rika Saboten was shorter than the average kunoichi but she made up for it with her adept chakra control and strength, "You're just going to give up just because of something as frivolous as sight?!"

"R-R-R-Rika-sama," Hitomi's sensei gasped, "Being physically fit is the basic requirement for any student here. If Hitomi-chan can't see, then how is she supposed to fight or defend herself from her opponents?"

"That is for her to figure out by using what she's learned from your teachings!" Rika snapped, "Now withdraw her expulsion. If my husband hears of this, he will-"

"Katsuo-san has already signed off on it," Hitomi's sensei interrupted and both Rika and Hitomi gaped at her teacher. Rika immediately released her hold and the sensei fell to the ground.

"Katsuo-kun did what?!" Rika gasped and the sensei nodded.

"We didn't think you'd come back in time after your mission so we called Katsuo-san to let him know. I explained everything and he agreed to withdraw Hitomi-chan," he explained, "I'm sorry, Rika-sama...I guess Hitomi-chan is just not destined to be a shinobi."

_Boom!_

Out of sheer frustration, Rika broke the teacher's desk with one punch. "'Destiny' is not a word in a shinobi's vocabulary," she seethed, "That is something for a failure or a tyrant to use as a convenient excuse...So don't you dare use that word to describe my daughter."

Rika took a step towards the teacher when she felt something pull at the back of her shortened kimono. She turned to see her daughter, gripping the cloth tightly in her hands. "Let's go home, Mother," Hitomi whispered quietly, "There's no need for me to be here anymore."

Rika knelt down and she placed her hands on Hitomi's shoulders. Her green eyes stared determinedly into her daughter's darkening brown ones. "This is not over, Hitomi. You hear me? You will be a great shinobi and you will sit at the Council table one day. Don't give up on your dream."

"But Mother-," Hitomi started to say but Rika shook her head firmly.

"Endure," Rika pressed, "This is just something you need to endure. Can you do that? For me?"

Hitomi bit her lip and then nodded her head. "Yes, Mother."

"R-R-R-Rika-sama, I hope that doesn't deter you from continuing to donate to the school," the sensei stammered, "As you know, the children here rely-"

"I'm not going to deprive the students here of the resources they deserve just because of how short sighted the teachers here are," Rika responded coldly.

She took her daughter by the hand. They walked out of the classroom and out of the academy with Rika's head held high. A bunch of Hitomi's schoolmates had gathered around the front with their parents, including the mother of the girl Hitomi had hurt.

"I hope they kicked you out," the angered parent spat out to Hitomi.

Rika's solemn expression was unwavering and even though the woman was a foot taller than Rika, she glared at her with a prowess of a queen. "They did," Rika replied curtly, "And I hope your child will get better at taijutsu. If she can't even dodge a wayward kunai, she won't even be able to complete a D-rank mission."

The woman balked at Rika. "Y-Y-You're not even going to give us an apology? She could've killed my daughter!"

"But she didn't. My daughter has already been expelled. I believe that's more than enough compensation," Rika said but then she bowed her head towards the little girl, "But I do apologize on behalf of my daughter for hurting you. I will happily pay for any medical expenses that you suffer from."

Rika then stood back up and led Hitomi through the crowd. Hitomi kept her head lowered but she could hear the whisperings all around her.

"Such a shame. She was from such a prestigious family. Her mother is a direct descendant of the First Kazekage, right?"

"Ugh. They've given so much to the village and now they have a dud for daughter. As a parent, I'd be so disappointed."

"What's going to happen to her? What is she going to do if she's blind?"

"Who cares? This means one of us can be the top of the class now! "

Rika gripped Hitomi's hand tighter into hers. "Endure, Hitomi. You hear me?," she murmured.

"Yes, Mother."

"Come, let me show you something," Rika said and ushered her daughter to the outskirts of town. The guards stationed in the surrounding rocks that fenced in Suna were surprised but kept silent when Rika carried her daughter to the top of the cliffs, "Give us a minute."

"Yes, Rika-sama," the two nearest shinobis said and quickly moved down to a lower cliff.

Rika set her daughter down and pointed down at the village beneath their feet. "Do you see this? This village?"

Hitomi nodded. As blurry as it was, she could still see the faint outlines of her hometown. Rika smiled and stroked Hitomi's hair, taking in the scene as well. "I'm going to tell you what my father told me," she said quietly, "This village was built on nothing but sand and determination. There was nothing here before and no one thought this was place was going to ever be livable."

"Until great great grandfather came along…" Hitomi whispered, remembering her history.

Rika nodded, "That's right. My great grandfather, the first Kazekage, brought together the strongest shinobis in the country and they worked together to create Sunagakure. Even these rocks beneath our feet came from them. He built this place to unite the shinobis in the Land of Wind and because of him, we are considered one of the Five Great Shinobi countries. That is the Will of Wind. We may not spread like fire, adapt like water, or be as sturdy as earth, but the wind is powerful and can sprout from nowhere. The Will of Wind is the will to always find a way."

Rika cupped Hitomi's face in her hands. "Which means I never want to hear you say you can't do something or to ever use your eyesight as an excuse. Do you hear me? You are a shinobi of Suna and an inheritor of the Will of Wind. Now promise me that you will never, ever give up and that you won't stop until you sit at that Council table."

Hitomi nodded. "I promise."

Rika kissed her daughter on the forehead. "That's my girl."


	4. The Laughing Ninja

**** "He...he did it?!" Tamotsu gasped, sitting up from his seat to get a better look down at the field below, "That kid actually did it!"

Hitomi smiled against her steepled fingers and she nodded in approval. "He left a shadow clone in the hole and waited for his chance...He's very clever," she murmured and placed her hands on her lap, "And he was able to tap into his tailed beast's chakra after all."

"Ah," Tamotsu nodded grimly, "His seal on it is a lot more secure than Gaara's."

"Winner of this match," the proctor announced, "Is Naruto Uzumaki."

Tamotsu stomped his feet and cheered along with the rest of the stadium. He even put his two fingers between his lips and let out a shrill whistle. He fell back on his seat laughing when Naruto started to do victory laps on the field. "Ha! What an entertaining kid," he chuckled and gave another whistle.

"Must you be so flashy?" Michiko interrupted with disdain and two sticks of sweet dangos in each hand.

"Oh! Is one of those for me?" Tamotsu asked. He took a casual swipe towards one of the treats and Michiko smoothly moved out of the way.

"No, these are for Hito," Michiko said as she took the seat next to Hitomi and then she raised an eyebrow when the girl's head suddenly fell to the side and leaned against Tamotsu's shoulder, "Asleep again? Did she at least get to see the whole fight?"

Tamotsu nodded and put his arm around Hitomi's shoulder so that she could sleep much more securely against him. "Ah, it was quite an eyeful for her. Both those kids went all out on each other. Man, it takes me back. I couldn't even move the next day after my Chunin Exams. Can't believe it's already been eight years."

Michiko did the math in her head and then her eyes widened. "It only took you a year to become a jonin?!"

Tamotsu grinned cheekily, revealing all his teeth. "Are ya impressed?"

Michiko scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Must've been a huge lack of jonins for them to add you to the roster."

Tamotsu's expression turned grim and his eyes darkened. "Ah...there was…"

Michiko stiffened at his expression. The usual jovial and energetic Tamotsu only turned solemn and grave for one reason and one reason only. She covered her hand over her mouth. "Ah...I'm sorry...I didn't meant to bring back those memories for you."

Tamotsu waved her off but his face was still not in his usual light hearted state. "Ya did nothing. Those memories are always with me."

He shook his head slightly to clear away the horrifying images of his close friends and senpais dying at the hands of a child. At the same time, he was haunted by the knowledge that those same friends and mentors of his could actually try to hurt someone who was barely old enough to throw a kunai.

Being promoted to jonin did not bring him the honor and satisfaction he thought it would have. Instead it gave him so much doubt and resentment towards his own village. A Kage that would put a monster in his own child and then try to kill him for that very reason. A village that would do anything for power and prestige. What exactly had he been fighting for?

The urge to grab the bottle of alcohol from his pouch became too much for him and he started to reach for it until he felt Hitomi's hand grip the side of his shirt. He stilled and studied the girl. She was fast asleep. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His hand that was so close to touching the bottle fell to his side. _That's right. I'm fighting for her now._

He had gone on a drinking binge after being a jonin for only two years. Sure, he was a minor at the time but getting hands on alcohol was easy for a shinobi. His work started to slip and his missions went from A-ranks to B's. Soon they fell to C's until he was reduced to just minor D-Rank missions, which to be honest he didn't mind at all because it meant he had more time to drink. It was the darkest and blurriest year of his life.

The one thing that he could remember vividly during that year was Hitomi. Or actually, to be more specific, having the alcohol pulled out of his hand and 7 year old Hitomi dropped into his lap by his sensei.

* * *

_\- Flashback: 5 years ago, Tamotsu 17, Hitomi: 7 -_

"Oy, Rika-sensei. What's the big idea?" Tamotsu drawled as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight that was blaring through his window.

Rika, who had thrown the curtains wide opened, turned towards her former student and glared at him. "What has gotten into you?" she demanded, "Where is my usual laughing ninja and what have you done to him?"

Tamotsu winced at the migraine that was stabbing into his brain and then he squinted through his eyes at the little girl sitting quietly on him. "What kind of mother leaves her child with a drunk?" he asked, which earned him a punch on the head.

"It is way too early for you to be labelled as a drunk and I refuse to believe that you are actually going down this path," she said, "When I heard from the Council how you've been behaving, I couldn't believe it. Did you know I just turned down an S-Rank mission so that I could come here and talk some sense into you? S-Rank, Tamotsu. S!"

"Screw the Council!" Tamotsu yelled and Hitomi let out a horrified gasp. Tamotsu smirked at the little girl's reaction, "That's right. I said it. To hell with those egotistical jerks."

"That's my husband you're talking about," Rika snapped.

"Are ya saying he's not one?!"

Rika frowned and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah," she sighed in defeat and leaned against the window, "He has been a little difficult to be around these days. Being on the Council has changed him."

"I-Is...Is the Council bad?" a small voice whispered and Rika went to her daughter.

She put her hands on Hitomi's shoulders. "No, the Council is not bad. Your father is not bad," she said and then shot a warning look at Tamotsu, "They just have to make some very difficult decisions sometimes that some people don't agree with."

"Okay," Hitomi said and nodded her head. Then she began to rub her blackened eyes and Rika looked worriedly at her.

"Are your eyes bothering you or are you sleepy?" she asked.

"Sleepy," Hitomi stated and then let out a big yawn.

"Alright, Hito," Tamotsu sighed and placed the girl on his bed, "You can nap here but don't you dare drool on my pillow."

"Thank you, Brother Tamotsu," Hitomi yawned again and then snuggled deep under the covers.

Rika and Tamotsu stared at the little girl for a while until she began to snore gently. Rika placed her hands on her hips and let out a heavy sigh. "She's starting to sense things like me…"

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that good?"

Rika shook her head. "It's a mix of both. For some reason, it's activated without her doing any seals and she can't release it. It's draining her chakra. She takes 5 or 6 naps a day. I've taken her to see so many different doctors but they all say the same thing. Her optic nerve somehow has been severed and fused by the Chakra Points in that area. There's nothing they can do."

She started to take in a deep breath but then she wrinkled her nose. "What is that smell?" she said and then her eyes widened when she discovered the source, "Tamotsu! When was the last time you showered?"

Tamotsu shrugged and then found himself being flung into his own bathroom by his sensei who was quite literally half his size. "Shower. Now!" she ordered and then slammed the door in his face. Then he heard his closet door being flung open and a tiny shriek from his sensei. "Do you not have _any_ clean clothes?"

There was a pound on the bathroom door. "Tamotsu, I'm going to go run out to buy you some clothes. I'll be back soon. Shower and keep an eye on Hitomi for me, okay?!"

His very energetic mentor was too much for the hungover jonin and he couldn't even respond. All he could do was slump his shoulders and turn on the shower.

By the time he got out of the bathroom, there was a neat pile of fresh clothes waiting for him by the door. He hadn't even heard Rika sneak the clothes into the bathroom. He scoffed when he saw the big yellow smiley face on the red tshirt. He kept an annoyed look on his face when he stepped out of the bathroom.

He noticed that Rika had somehow managed to clean his apartment while he was showering. All the garbage was gone, the dishes were done, and there was even food on the table along with a huge bag of candy. Still, the grimace on his face did not change.

Rika ignored his sour mood and she clapped her hands in delight. "I'm so glad it fits!" she whispered as not to wake her still napping child, "I got you seven more of those so you can keep wearing them and not have to worry about changing. Do you like the design? I figured you needed something to remind you to keep laughing."

Tamotsu pointed at the half empty bottle of liquor on his table. "That's what keeps me laughing."

To his horror, Rika took the bottle and dumped the contents into the sink. "You are my precious student," she said and putting one hand out to keep Tamotsu an arms length away, "And too young to be losing hope. I will protect it just like I'm protecting Hitomi's."

"She's the same age as him, isn't she?" Tamotsu asked quietly and Rika stiffened, "How would you feel if the roles were switched and the village wanted to kill her? Would you want to kill her too?"

"There are many things," Rika said softly, " _Many_ decisions that the Council and I don't see eye to eye on. Karura's son being at the top of the list. Unfortunately, as much as I've tried, I am unable to do anything for Gaara. The Kage, my husband, and the Council has made sure of that."

She then turned and her eyes bore into Tamotsu's. "I wasn't able to help that child in time but I can do something for my own. I will not have her be swept under the rug and cast aside. Just like I will not have you cast yourself out."

She tossed the bottle over her shoulder without looking back and it fell perfectly into the trash bin. Her eyes never left Tamotsu's. "I have another mission I'm on and it's S-Rank. I leave tomorrow. It might take a week for me to come back so while I'm out, I want you to help with Hitomi."

Tamotsu gaped at his sensei the same way he did when she first started his training. "Me? Help with what?"

"Training," Rika insisted and she snorted at Tamotsu's reaction, "Stop looking at me like I just grew horns. My daughter dreams to be part of the Council one day and as a parent, I want to help her achieve her dreams."

"But...she's blind," Tamotsu said weakly, already knowing that when his sensei decides on something, she follows through no matter what.

Rika rolled her eyes. "Really? I hadn't noticed," she said sarcastically and then placed her hands on her hips, "All I ask is that you take care of her and guide her with her training until I come back. I'll pay you in full too. Think of it as your own S-Rank mission."

"S? This is S?" Tamotsu asked.

"S for Student," Rika said with a grin, "I always thought you'd make a great teacher so why not start with her? Oh! That could be another meaning. S for Start! You are starting over."

Tamotsu started to protest but then Rika put her hands on his shoulders. She stared solemnly at him. "Gaara is already too far gone," she said, "He's lost control and it's not just because of what's inside of him. It's because of isolation and his father's actions. I don't want Hitomi to go down the same path."

"You think Katsuo-senpai will-" Tamotsu started to say and Rika shook her head.

"No. Katsuo-kun won't hurt his own daughter...but...," she said sadly, "He is someone who sticks by the rules and being on the Council means he's only going to hold even tighter to them. I don't want him to know about her training because he'll only try to stop it."

She looked over at her daughter. "Hitomi...her world is naturally dark now and the only way to keep her in the light is if someone holds her in it. Can you be that person? Just while I'm away?"

"Why me? There's better teachers out there-"

"I see her chakra natures. There's earth...wind..." Rika interrupted and then took a deep breath, "...and lightning."

Tamotsu's eyes widened. "Are you saying she's a candidate?!"

Rika nodded, "There's a chance she'll never awaken it. None of the candidates have so far but if she does, I need someone who can guide her. Someone who knows what it's like to be born with a natural power."

Tamotsu stilled and he looked over at Hitomi. "A kekkei tota is not the same as a kekkai genkai."

"You're the best person for the job."

"How are you so sure?!"

Rika loosened her hold on her student and she smiled. "Because you're the laughing ninja."

"What?" Tamotsu couldn't believe his ears, "You're basing this on something I did 7 years ago?!"

"You were a snot nosed chunin yet somehow, out of all the people who visited me when Hitomi was born, the baby only laughed when she was with you. Not me, not her father, and not even Baki, who is surprisingly good with kids. Whenever you laughed, she laughed. There hasn't much laughter in her life these days and she needs that. She needs you just as much as you need her. So please….Can you look after her for me?"

Tamotsu clenched his jaw and then his eyes fell on the sleeping girl, who had a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Her black hair flowed all over his pillow and her hands were folded delicately over the blanket. She looked like a little doll, so fragile and still. He looked back at Rika and nodded. "Okay. I'll watch over her."

"Good, because I have the contract ready," she said and pulled out a document from her sleeve. She set it on the table next to the bag of candy, "Feel free to have some of the candy, by the way. I got it because Hitomi has a huge sweet tooth. Anyways, if you'll just sign here, here, and here, you will-"

"You're legally binding me to this?!"

* * *

Tamotsu let out a little snort as he remembered the contract. His sensei was always good at sensing things and maybe that contract was her sensing the future because she never made it back from that mission. She never came back to take over Hitomi's lessons and watch her grow. The contract he signed bound him to Hitomi for the rest of his life with his living expenses paid out of Rika's own private account. It was something her own husband couldn't touch.

Hitomi's hair fell across her face and it brushed against his hand. He smiled as the doll-like hair caught in between his fingers. Yes. He may not have a village or Kage that he wanted to fight for anymore but at least he had her. His reason to fight.

 


	5. A Push in the Right Direction

There were three unspoken rules in the Saboten household, which was set by the late Rika. These were rules understood and followed by the entire staff of the house, not just by Tamotsu and Michiko. The first rule was to never ask where Hitomi was going whenever she left the house without her father, even during the times when she would be gone for days. At first she would leave with Rika herself but then Tamotsu took over those duties. The extended absences only happened during her father's trips to the capital. He was tasked with the monthly reports to the Daimyo, which usually took him at least a few weeks away from home.

The second rule was to never speak about her disappearances to Hitomi's father. No one, not even the housekeeper, was to breathe a word or even mention anything related to it. When Hitomi had returned with her clothes scuffed and torn, nobody asked why Michiko had it burned immediately instead of patched. If anyone noticed that the girl had returned with a limp or injury, which also happened more times than not, they kept it to themselves.

How close the staff followed the first two rules was fully proven two years ago, when Hitomi and Tamotsu had returned on one of their trips with a very sandy and frail Michiko. They had cleaned her up and given her a hot meal without question. They ignored the cuts and bruises around her arms and legs and expressed no alarm or surprise when Hitomi voiced her intention of keeping Michiko as her attendant. Being that Hitomi did need a female to take care of her, Katsuo agreed without much argument when he had returned home. Had he seen the state of which Michiko had entered the house, he might've disagreed with Hitomi's decision but by the time he had come home, a week had passed and Michiko's wounds were bandaged and closed to healing.

The last and final rule was that when Hitomi slept, no one was to bother her and have her wake up on her own. To be fair, the only two people this actually applied to was Michiko and Tamotsu since the rest of the staff was kept at arm’s length away from Hitomi. Those two were also the only people who knew why that rule was established in the first place, especially the part about not waking Hitomi up.

“Hito, you’ve been sleeping for 10 minutes now. Time to get up,” Michiko coaxed, “They should be starting the second match soon.”

Hito’s eyelids twitched but didn’t open. Her lips pursed and she moved her head further away from the blonde, burying her face in Tamotsu’s chest. “Leave me alone,” came her grumpy and muffled reply as she limply waved her hand towards Michiko, as if trying to swat away a fly.

Michiko was not to be deterred. She was already armed and ready. She held up one stick of dangos and let out an exaggerated sigh, “Well, then I guess I’ll just have to share these dangos with ol’ Tomato then…”

Tamotsu felt Hito’s head lift up from his shirt. “What flavor?” she asked.

“Green tea,” Michiko said, shooting Tamotsu a wink.

Tamotsu laughed while Hitomi sat up. “Okay. I’m up,” she said, “Thank you, Michiko.”

She turned towards Michiko, who placed a dango in the palm of her hand. The child popped it in her mouth and chewed slowly. Then held out her hand for another. The frown on her lips faded away with the more sugar she consumed.  

Michiko grinned and looked triumphantly at Tamotsu. “Works everytime.”

Tamotsu snorted in agreement. The only way to convince Hitomi to wake up earlier than expected was to bribe her with sweets. Otherwise, Hitomi would be left in a foul mood until her next nap and the worse the mood she was in, the harder time she would give everyone around her.

Hitomi surveyed the field and she tilted her head in confusion while eating another dango. “Why is Gaara-san not on the field? Has Sasuke Uchiha-san arrived yet?” Hitomi demanded.

Michiko crossed her arms over chest and frowned. “That’s what everyone is wondering too.”

She paused for a second so that Hitomi could hear the disgruntled mutterings from the people around them. “I was going to wake you up when the second match started,” Michiko continued, “...But it’s been so long. There has to be some type of delay.”

“Then why did you wake me up then?” Hitomi snapped.

Michiko immediately handed her another dango. “Don’t you want to know what I saw when I was walking around?” she asked, “Or more importantly...who I spotted?”

“Fine,” Hitomi mumbled.

Tamotsu shifted a little bit closer to the women so that he could hear this as well. It helped that the crowd was now shouting and stamping their feet impatiently. Their protests and complaints helped cover Michiko’s report.

“I found where the Daimyos and dignitaries are sitting,” Michiko said, “Including...Yoshio-sama and Nobuo-sama.”

Hitomi sat up straighter while Tamotsu threw his hand over his eyes. “Of course Nobu-kun is here,” he sighed, “That brat is too obsessed with shinobis for his own good.”  

Hitomi got up to her feet. She rubbed away the sleep in her eyes and she smoothed the front of her kimono. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go pay our respects.”

Tamotsu casted a wary look over the girl. “Are you...up for it, Hitomi? I mean, if you’re still tired, maybe you should sleep a little more and-”

“We’re going,” Hitomi said tersely.

A sweatdrop dribbled down both Tamotsu and Michiko’s forehead.

 _Should’ve told Michiko to let Hitomi sleep a bit longer,_ Tamotsu thought.

 _Should’ve bought more sweets,_ Michiko thought.

* * *

“AH!!! Hito! It’s Hito!!! Let them through. She’s my friend!”

Hitomi’s polite smile never wavered as two of Konoha’s ANBU stepped to the side to let Michiko, Tamotsu, and her into the section that was designated only for Daimyos and their advisors. “Thank you,” she said softly and then turned her attention to the caller, Nobuo.

Nobuo sitting in the back row next to his father, Yoshio, an advisor for the Daimyo in the Land of Wind. Yoshio was large and round in every physical way except for his facial features. His eyes, nose, and lips were small and centered with a thin mustache and a pointy goatee for emphasis. Yoshio’s thirteen year old son was a miniature version of him, right down to the squinty eyes and button nose. Even the ornate rectangular hats on their head only differed in size.

Two Suna shinobis stood behind their seats with veils over their face. If they were surprised to see Hitomi and her group, they didn’t show it. They simply took a step back so that Hitomi, Michiko, and Tamotsu could take their place. One of them nodded in recognition at Tamotsu, who nodded back.

Nobuo, on the other hand, was not reserved in the slightest. He knelt on his chair with his back to the stadium and his eyes shined in delight at Hitomi. He waved both his arms widely in the air. His long sleeves flapping from side to side as he did so. “Hito! Can you see me? Can you see me?!”

His father turned in his seat as well, ignoring his own child’s antics, and he smiled at Hitomi, “Welcome, Hitomi-chan. It’s been awhile since your father has brought you to the capital. Where is he anyways?”

He held out his hand and Hitomi held up both of hers to meet it. She bowed her head and touched her forehead to his hand. It was the traditional sign of respect in the Land of Wind, “Hello, Yoshio-sama. Father has business to attend to for Kazekage-sama so he left me here to watch the exams,” she lied and then nodded at Nobuo, “Hello, Nobuo-sama...And yes, I can see you.”

“Ah, how many times do I have to tell you, Hito?!” Nobu chided as he sat back down on his seat and folded his arms across his chest. The silk fabric tightened around him from this movement and he looked like he was about to pop out right out of his kimono, “Call me Nobu. NOBU!”

“That would be inappropriate, my son,” Yoshio said with a grin, “And I know Katsuo-san won’t stand for that kind of behavior.”

“Are you enjoying the tournament?” Hitomi asked politely.

Nobuo nodded earnestly, “En! The fight was awesome! Although, I don’t quite understand the whole clan thing and the stuff about branch family and head family...”

Yoshio got up to his feet, “Here, Hitomi-chan. Why don’t you take my seat so you and Nobuo-kun can talk?”

Before Hitomi could protest Yoshio continued. “I have to go collect from the Daimyo from the Land of Tea and discuss some business matters with him anyways,” he said and then chortled again, “Ah...It’s politics that you kids wouldn’t be interested in.”

“Yes, Father-sama,”  Nobu chided, “So just leave me and Hito and go do your boring stuff.”

Internally, Hitomi did not agree with her friend but she respectively said goodbye to Yoshio.  As much as she wanted to know what business he had with the Land of Tea, it would be quite odd if she made her feelings known. He motioned for his guards and they left with him to the other side of the section, leaving Tamotsu to protect Nobuo and Hitomi.

Tamotsu lifted Hitomi up and plopped her into the now empty seat. He grinned at Nobuo, “How are ya, Nobu-kun?”

“Excellent,” Nobuo stated and then flashed a quick, jealous glance at the naginata on Tamotsu’s back, “I can’t believe I’m here watching an actual Chunin Exams! It took me so long to convince Father-sama to take me.’

“Ah,” Hitomi said, “It was the same for me.”

Nobuo frowned in confusion. “But since you’re a shinobi, wouldn’t it be easy for you to come to these things?”

Michiko held her tongue and stifled the urge to roll her eyes. As Hitomi’s attendant, she was by Hitomi’s side at all times, even during her visits to the capital. Thus, she knew for a fact that Hitomi had explained to Nobuo numerous times already the dynamics between the different Hidden Villages and just because Hitomi lived in a Hidden Village, didn’t mean she was a shinobi.

“It’s complicated,” Hitomi answered and Michiko bit back a laugh. Complications to Nobuo was like bitter food to Hitomi. Something the boy tried to avoid as much as possible. It was also clear to Michiko that Hitomi was still somewhat in a mood from being awoken too early otherwise she would have the usual patience to explain it to Nobuo again.

“Okay,” Nobuo said and then looked around him in confusion, “It’s been awhile since the first match ended. I wonder what is taking the next match so long. Oh! The next one is from Suna, right? The Gaara kid? I heard a couple of people talking about it when we got to the stadium. Apparently, the Uchiha tribe is a big deal in the Land of Fire.”

“Uchiha clans,” Hitomi corrected patiently, “In Konoha, they have clans. While in Suna, we have tribes.”

Nobuo wrinkled his nose. “What’s the difference?”

“Clans are grouped by blood ties and ancestry. Tribes are grouped by customs and traditions,” Hitomi answered, “For instance, your family members, like  your father, mother, uncles, and cousins, would be your father’s clan but the people here, the Daimyos and political leaders, could be considered your father’s tribe.”

“Oh yeah,” Nobuo said as he scratched his chin, “I remember you told me this before. There are…Er…”

He folded his arms across his chest and furrowed his brow. A bead of sweat rolled down his head as he thought long and hard. “Six tribes in Suna, right? There’s one that deals with medicine-”

“The Hoki tribe, yes,” Hitomi said with encouragement, “They also are information gatherers.”

“Ones that specialize in ninja weaponry and tools…”

“Ah. The Aizumi tribe,” Tamotsu said with a grin and jutted a thumb towards the naginata on his back, “That’s my tribe.”

Another bead of sweat rolled down Nobuo’s head as he looked at Hitomi. “And you’re from the...Hot sauce tribe?”

“Hatsu,” Hitomi said.

Nobuo’s face relaxed and he grinned. “Right! Hatsu tribe. You guys are Suna’s diplomats and envoys!”

 _And spies,_ Hitomi thought to herself.

“Correct,” Hitomi replied, “Which is why my father is the one who sits before the Daimyo for our reports.”

“Yeah and he’s the head of the tribe, which is why he gets to be part of the Council.”

“Whoah,” Tamotsu breathed, “Not bad, Nobu-kun! You actually remembered something about shinobis that wasn’t chakra related.”

Nobuo scratched the back of his hat sheepishly and a faint blush came to his chubby cheeks. “I try to remember everything Hito tells me. I really do.”

“About time” was on the tip of Hitomi’s tongue but she kept quiet. More so because she didn’t want to offend a noble than to spare her friend’s feelings. Part of her just wanted to go back to sleep but she knew that this meeting and the Chunin Exams was too important for her to miss out on.

Nobuo’s eyes caught Michiko and a pensive look came across his face. “Then...what tribe is Michiko from? Is there a servant tribe?”

“Michiko is not my servant,” Hitomi hurriedly stated before Michiko could, “She’s my assistant. She is not a shinobi and she was originally from the Land of Rivers so Suna’s tribes do not apply to her.”

“Oh yeah,” Nobuo said as he sat back easily in his chair without any idea that Hitomi had just saved him from getting choke slammed by said assistant, “I remember now.”

Tamotsu looked over at Michiko and flashed her an apologetic smile, knowing how much Michiko hated being seen as less than anyone else. He and Hitomi had found her buried several feet under the sand. If it wasn’t for Hitomi’s large sensory range, he would’ve walked right over her. She was near death and suffered from physical wounds, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and starvation. It was the punishment of stealing from the wrong person, a powerful gang boss in the Land of Rivers, where gambling ran rampant throughout the country.

“And I should remind you, Nobuo-sama,” Hitomi said softly, “That I’m not a shinobi either.”

“Not yet at least, right?” Nobuo asked in a moment of panic. He lowered his head and looked around skeptically before whispering to Hitomi. “You haven’t given up, have you? Cause once I grow up to become an advisor for the Daimyo, I’m going to specifically request that you be the envoy or at least my bodyguard! You’re the only person who can explain grown up stuff to me.”

Hitomi sighed, letting her frustration take over her. “Nobuo-sama, even if you request that, I will refuse. My life is in Suna. I will not leave it.”

“But as long as the Kazekage assigns it to you, you have no right to refuse, right?” Nobuo pressed and then Hitomi snapped.

“If you abuse your power like that,” Hitomi said coldly, “Then you are nothing but a fat, lazy noble and not a friend of mine.”

“Hito!” Michiko and Tamotsu gasped as Nobuo stared at her as if he had been slapped.

“If you do only what you want and not take into account the people that you affect, then you have no right to be in a position of power,” Hitomi continued and then she took a deep calming breath, “Nobuo-sama...Do you know why Yoshio-sama is one of the Daimyo’s most valued advisors?”

“Because he’s smart?” Nobuo asked.

Hitomi shook her head. “No. It’s because he’s kind. He’s one of the few who speak up for the people.”

She smiled. “I believe you are kind too. You are the only person who has befriended me in my many visits to the capital. You came up to me almost immediately and asked for an introduction.”

“Well, that was mostly because I saw that Michiko had some dangos…” Nobuo said sheepishly.

“I know,” Hitomi said, “Usually people only come to me or my father if they want something...But after the food was gone, you still stayed and talked to me. You also always insist on seeing me every time I’m in town.”

“Well, we’re friends, aren’t we?

She turned to face him and a solemn expression came over her face. “Only if you continue to be the kind person I know. If you turn into one of those nobles who just demand things and boss people around, then I will never speak to you again. Understood?”

Nobuo gulped and then nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Tamotsu let out a little snort. _Speaking of bossing people around..._

“Everyone!” an official announced in the center of the field, interrupting the conversation, “The candidate for the next battle has not arrived here!  We’ll briefly postpone this battle and move on to the next one.”

Hitomi tilted her head. “Tamotsu...I thought the rules were that if you didn’t show up in time for your match, you were disqualified?”

Tamotsu nodded. “Ah, it usually is.”

Hitomi stilled. _They’re making an exception...but for who? Gaara-san or Sasuke-san?_

“Then, on to the next pair! Kankuro and Shino Aburame, come down,” the official called out.

“Proctor! I abstain!”

 _Kankuro-san?_ Hitomi thought.

“I abstain!” Konkuro repeated again, “Please advance the matches.”

_To wait this far and give up? Why? From what Father told me, all three Sand Siblings are strong so he can’t be backing out of the fight because he thinks he can’t win. So why is he giving up?_

“What’s going on?” Nobuo whined, “Why isn’t there any fighting?”

This turn of events did not sit well with Hitomi but it wasn’t in the same way as the rest of the crowd. Something was up. She just knew it. She wanted to talk it out with Tamotsu and Michiko but she couldn’t do it in front of Nobuo.

A powerful gust of chakra-created wind swept through the field and Hitomi watched a kunoichi float down from it. There was chakra focused along her legs and Hitomi could see the outlines of the fan that she was kneeling on. Hitomi knew only one kunoichi who had such a strong white chakra and she took a deep breath. _Kankuro-san withdrew...but Temari-san is in? Why?_

“Okay, let’s start the next match then,” the official said as he nodded in approval at Temari, “Shikamaru Nara, come on down.”

“C’mon! Shikamaru! Fight hard!!!” came a hearty cheer from Naruto followed by a crashing sound of something large hitting something hard.

“Heh,” Tamotsu snorted. From his standing position he could see what Hitomi couldn’t, “That Naruto kid just pushed his own friend in.”

Then he leaned over so that his head was right in between Nobuo and Hitomi’s. “Sometimes it takes a good friend to push us in the right direction, right?”


	6. Three Kings

"Why isn't he fighting back? Where is his fighting spirit?" Nobuo demanded as he balled up his fists and hit it rhythmically against his plump thighs. He looked over at Hitomi, who was back to her thinking position with her hands pressed against her lips, "He's just been sitting there doing nothing."

"He's biding his time," Hitomi stated with amusement. It was the first time Hitomi had seen a pure Yin user and she was very much intrigued by the Nara clan's power. _A jutsu that manipulates shadows...and he's-_

"He's a smart one," Tamotsu smirked, finishing Hitomi's thought for her. He squatted down behind Hitomi's seat and he rested his head on her shoulder, "Shikamaru Nara...Do you think he plays shogi?"

"I hope so. He would be a worthy opponent," Hitomi answered, "This match is probably going to be the most interesting one of the day."

"How?!" Nobuo asked incredulously, "Nothing is happening!"

Hitomi smiled. "Maybe not on the surface...You have to see past it. These two are opposites of each other."

"Because it's a girl versus a boy?"

"That's still surface level, Nobuo-sama," Michiko pointed out.

"She's hot headed while he's very calm," Hitomi said, relieving Nobuo from the weighted duty of thinking, "Her wind attacks are forceful and direct while his shadow attacks are based on trickery and misdirection. Compared to the previous match where it was predominantly hand to hand combat, this one is going to be more of a tactical battle."

"How long are you going to keep running away?! Cut it out!" Temari shouted from the field and she waved her fan, sending a strong blast of air forward. The wind almost bent the trees backwards, which was a tribute not just to her power but also to the fortitude of the Konoha greenery.

_Shing! Clank!_

Two kunais flew forward one at a time towards her from behind small arbor. Temari quickly sidestepped one and then used her fan to block out the other one. A shadow stretched forward towards her and she knelt calmly behind the line that marked the extent of Shikamaru's reach.

Hitomi smirked behind her fingers as she watched Shikamaru's dark grey chakra moved beyond that point. Temari noticed the same thing at the very last possible second and she leapt back before she could get captured.

"Wait! What?!" Nobuo demanded, "I thought she marked the farthest his shadow could go!"

"I told you, he was biding his time," Hitomi said.

Tamotsu chuckled and looked up at the sky. "So he was waiting for the sun to set to increase the shadows?"

He looked back down on the floor, "...And he threw the first two kunais to get her to stay centered from the line. How very-"

"What's that?!" Nobuo interrupted.

Tamotsu's head shot up to where Nobuo was pointing. "He threw a kunai in the air," he explained to Hitomi, who couldn't see it since there was no chakra coating it, "And it's floating down slowly. He tied his jacket to it to make it a parachute. A diversion?"

"If your opponent manipulates shadows, where should your attention be?" Hitomi asked quietly.

Tamotsu's attention went to Temari's feet just as the shadow from the parachute casted over Shikamaru's extended one. His shadow began to stretch again with the additional shadow surface created and Temari skidded sideways to avoid getting bound.

Shikamarus's shadow wove around the stadium, chasing the wind user, until it finally reached its limit. Temari smirked when the shadow swelled and she let out a small gust of wind with her fan before slamming it down in front of her. The chakra in her wind allowed Hitomi to see the terrain as it blew forward.

"It's over," Hitomi said as she lowered her hands.

"Huh?" Nobuo, Michiko, and Tamotsu asked at the same time.

Suddenly, Shikamaru's shadow retreated for just a few meters before redirecting into the hole that Naruto had previously burrowed in. Then it snaked up from behind Temari in the second hole Naruto had created when he busted out to land the finishing blow onto Neji. The shadow thread attached itself to Temari's shadow.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu is successful!" Shikamaru announced on the field as he stood up with a shocked Temari mimicking his movements.

Hitomi got to her feet and she smiled politely at Nobuo. "Please excuse us, Nobuo-sama but I'm feeling a bit tired. I believe it's time for me to go. Enjoy the rest of the exams."

"What? You're leaving already?!" Nobuo pouted, "But the match isn't even over yet! They haven't even announced a winner."

"In terms of a mission, it's over as soon as she got caught," Hitomi stated.

"Huh?" Nobuo asked.

"It's complicated," HItomi replied.

"Do you really have to go?" Nobuo asked.

Hitomi nodded. "You know me and my naps…"

Nobuo let out a deep sigh. "Fine," he said, "But come visit me soon in the capital, okay?! I don't want to wait another year before seeing you again!"

"Okay," Hitomi agreed, "I will, Nobuo-sama."

Tamotsu lifted Hitomi off her seat and then let out a little wave at one of the Suna shinobis, who was standing near Yoshio. With a puff of smoke, the Suna shinobi appeared at Tamotsu's side.

"I can watch Nobuo-sama from here," the Suna shinobi stated.

Both Tamotsu and Michiko nodded at Nobuo. "See ya, Nobu-kun! And tell your father we said goodbye as well."

Nobuo grinned. "En!"

"Good grief...I give up!"

Everyone stiffened and slowly turned to gape at center field. "Did the shadow jutsu user just forfeit?!" Tamotsu exclaimed, "The boy doesn't have any fighting motivation, does he?"

"It's not just about motivation," Hitomi replied as she focused her mind's eye on Shikamaru, "His chakra is low. Capturing Temari-san was his last move."

She committed his chakra signature to memory. "Shikamaru Nara-san. I will remember you."

As soon as they stepped out of the section and into an empty stairwell, Michiko rubbed the back of her neck and let out an exasperated sigh. "Ugh, being around those stuffy rich people makes me so tense...and why does Nobuo-sama have to ask all those questions when we all know he's not going to remember any of the answers anyways?!"

"You can't blame him," Hitomi stated, "This generation has not been touched by war so kids these days lack the seriousness and discipline of our predecessors."

Both Michiko and Tamotsu scoffed at Hitomi. "Kids these days?" Michiko said with a raised eyebrow.

Tamotsu grinned at Hitomi. "Just because you train in tombs in the Demon Desert doesn't make ya old, ya know?"

"I know," Hitomi replied.

Michiko shook her head in exasperation. "Are we going back to our seats or what?"

"No," Hitomi stated. She placed her hand on Tamotsu's arm for guidance and support, "We're going to go see Baki-san."

Tamotsu and Michiko shared a look of confusion. "Baki-senpai?" Tamotsu demanded, "Why him?"

"You don't find it odd?" Hitomi asked back, "Kankuro-san forfeiting yet Temari-san is in? Not to mention the fact that all three of the Kazekage's children are in the match yet the Kazekage is not here?"

Michiko looked at Hitomi in confusion. "But the Kazekage-"

Tamotsu's eyes narrowed. "Hito…" he interrupted and his voice went dangerously low, "Find a place where we can talk privately."

Hitomi tilted her head in confusion, "Just us? But-"

"Hito. Now," he instructed.

Hitomi knew that voice. It was the voice he used when they trained in the abandoned ruins of the First Kazekage's tomb, below the Demon Desert. It meant something dangerous was coming. Usually that meant a swarm of giant insects but it was most definitely not the case now.

Hitomi scanned the arena with her mind's eye until she could find a space with no people in a 20 meter radius. "There's a space in the level below us. It's about thirty meters on the left from the stairwell."

Tamotsu and Michiko nodded and they quickly headed in that direction with Hitomi in hand. Michiko's jaw dropped when she saw the space that Hitomi was referring to. "This is a men's bathroom," she hissed.

"It's an out of service one," Tamotsu said as he read the sign on the door, "So it'll do. Come on."

He pushed open the door and the three of them went in. He folded his arms across his chest and he looked down at Hitomi. "You'll tell us if someone is within earshot right?"

"Of course," Hitomi stated.

"Okay, now what is all of this about?!" Michiko said, wrinkling her nose and looking over at the source of the putrid smell, "Ugh. You'd think someone would clean the urinals even if it is out of service."

"Hito," Tamotsu asked, his jonin instincts taking over, "Seeing that you scoured the stadium already, it's safe to assume that your sensory range is at least 1 kilometer?"

Hitomi nodded and expanded her mind to see exactly how far it'll go. "I can see up to 3 kilometers around us."

Tamotsu gritted his teeth. "You remember everyone you've ever met right?"

"Their chakra signatures, yes..."

"Even the Kazekage?"

Michiko inhaled sharply as she caught onto what Tamotsu was getting at but then she immediately coughed from the stink.

Hitomi nodded slowly. "Yes…"

"If that's the case...then who the hell is that sitting next to the Hokage wearing the Kazekage's clothes?" Tamotsu asked.

Hitomi's face went pale, which gave her complexion the look of porcelain. "I-I thought those were all Konoha jonins up there with the Hokage. I didn't think Kazekage-sama was there," she whispered.

"He's not," Tamotsu said, "You and I both know your Sensory Jutsu doesn't lie. The fact that you had no idea meant that the chakra signatures are significantly different from the Kazekage's...So there's no chance he had manipulated or changed his own chakra in some way."

"Do you think something happened to the Kazekage? Do you think Konoha is behind it?" Michiko asked and Hitomi shook her head.

"It would not make sense if they were," she said, "Konoha has no incentive for that. They are already the strongest out of the Five Great Shinobi Nations."

Hitomi pressed her hands together and she furrowed her brow. It was like she had stumbled into the middle of a shogi game with the pieces frozen in place. She had to figure out the intent just by looking at where each piece stood. First, though, she had to know who the two players were. The obvious choice would be Konoha and Suna but that didn't feel right to her. Something was missing.

"We need to speak to Baki-san," Hitomi said quietly.

"Ah," Tamotsu agreed, "Something's up."

* * *

It was a well known fact that it took a lot to catch Baki off guard. He was not a man who was easily rattled. The Suna jonin didn't grimace when he held a baby Hitomi for the first time and had the front of his shirt instantly stained by her leaky diaper. He didn't blink when he was assigned to be the sensei to the three Sand Siblings. He didn't even flinch when Gaara single-handedly killed a group of desert bandits during their first C-Rank mission. He didn't react when Tamotsu found him in the stadium and asked if he could come with him for a moment. His calm demeanor was widely known and respected in Suna.

That was why Tamotsu couldn't help but let out a gut busting laugh when he saw his senpai's jaw completely drop to the ground when he opened the door to the out of service men's room and saw Hitomi and Michiko standing in front of the dirty urinals.

Hitomi smiled politely. "Hello, Baki-san."

"Make yourself at home," Michiko quipped with a wry smile, "But not too much…"

"H-H-Hitomi-chan?!" Baki gasped as he rushed over to her. Then he shot a glare over at Tamotsu, "Why did you bring her here? She's not supposed to be here."

"What? The stadium or the men's bathroom?" Tamotsu snorted.

"I think he meant Konoha," Hitomi answered, "Because Suna is about to attack this place, aren't they?"

Now it was Tamotsu and Michiko's turn to drop their jaws as Baki's eyes widened at HItomi's observation. "How did…?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," she answered, "Gaara-san participating in such a public venue, Kankuro-san withdrawing, and the fact that there are no other Suna shinobis here besides us and the select few assigned to guard the dignitaries."

"It's true," Michiko said and she looked over at Tamotsu, "I was telling Hitomi when you left that when I did my rounds, I saw a lot of shinobis from different villages and nations but none from Suna."

"Then you probably didn't see many from Otogakure either," Baki stated.

Hitomi stiffened, "Otogakure?"

"Ah," Baki said, "They are launching the attack and they asked for Suna's support. We are only working behind the scenes. Kazekage-sama has only deployed less than a third of our forces for this."

_I found the players._

"Who is the leader of the Sound?" Hitomi asked quietly.

"Orochimaru."

Hitomi back straightened even more than usual and she looked up at him. "One of the Legendary Sannin?"

Baki's one exposed eyebrow flew to the top of his cloth wrapped head. "How do you even know that? Temari didn't even know and had to be told."

"Some girls read bedtime stories. I read history books," Hitomi stated.

"Oy, Hito! Do ya think that Orochimaru-"

Hitomi's hand reached over and she gripped Tamotsu tightly in the arm to silence him. "Not so loud," she stated, "And yes...I do."

"What are you even doing here? Katsuo-senpai must've told you that you couldn't come!" Baki demanded.

"He did but I didn't listen," Hitomi said, "I had to come for my training."

"Training? For what?!" Baki asked.

_Thwack!_

Without warning, Hitomi flung her arm to the side and a kunai shot from under her kimono sleeve. It lodged itself firmly in the center of a white bathroom tile on the wall. "Ah! Hito! Don't do that without warning me," Michiko hissed.

"Combat and ninjutsu training is not enough," Hitomi said to Baki, "I wanted to see other people at my level so that I can gain some battle experience."

"Combat? Ninjutsu? Battle experience?!" Baki asked, "Are you saying that-"

Then Baki's eyes widened even more when he realized that the kunai that Hitomi had shot out wasn't metal. It was made of glass. His head snapped towards Hitomi. "Glass Release? Don't tell me..."

Hitomi nodded. "I awakened it two years ago."

Baki stared at her in disbelief and then he looked to Tamotsu for verification. "How long have you known that she was a candidate?"

"That she might've inherited the First Kazekage's kekkei tota?," Tamotsu clarified, "5 years. Rika-sensei knew longer than I did though."

"Then why didn't Rika say anything to me? Does Katsuo-san know?"

Tamotsu shook his head. "Rika-sensei kept it quiet."

"Why?!" Baki demanded.

"You know what the Council does to potential candidates. As soon as anyone in the First's bloodline shows any signs of using even just two chakra natures out of the three, they get poked and prodded like lab rats in hopes to awaken it," Tamotsu replied, "Rika-sensei saw all three natures in her daughter and she did what any good mother would do. Protect her child."

Baki let out a slow breath and rubbed his temples. He was appearing to alleviate an oncoming migraine but in truth it was to stop the aching from thinking about his best friend since childhood. "Rika...Yes, that does sound like something she would do."

Then his thoughts went to another child from a separate Kazekage's bloodline. "We need to tell the Kazekage. If she has awakened her kekkei tota, that means Gaara-"

"Baki-san," Hitomi interrupted, "I don't mean to be rude but...the Kazekage...isn't here."

"What do you mean?" Baki asked.

"There's no one up there with the Hokage that fits the Kazekage's chakra signature," Hitomi said, "You knew my mother. You know how our Sensory Jutsu works."

"But...then where is the Kazekage?!" Baki gasped, "There has to be a reasonable explanation. Maybe the Council decided that Orochimaru was enough for us and asked Kazekage-sama to stay back for his safety."

"Maybe," HItomi said and smiled politely at Baki, "Well, then now that we know what is going on, we will be taking our leave now."

"Wait, what?!" Tamotsu demanded, "We're leaving? Just like that?"

Hitomi looked over at Baki. "Baki-san already told us we should go but before I do...Baki-san, can I ask you something?"

"O-o-of course, Hitomi-san," he stammered. His head was reeling from this turn of events.

"Do you play shogi?"

"Uh…yes, sometimes."

"Have you ever played a game with three players?"

"No, Hitomi-san…I don't believe you can since there are only two kings."

"Exactly," Hitomi agreed and paused to let her answer sink in.

She turned towards Tamotsu with Michiko by her side, "Well then, we should-"

"Wait!" Baki said and his hand shot out to grab Hitomi by the arm. She didn't even react, making him realize she already expected him to stop her, "All the Suna shinobi's...they're all waiting outside the village. There's no one else I can deploy to go look for the Kazekage...and if you really do have Rika's sensing ability then-"

"Are you sending me on a mission, Baki-san?" Hitomi asked, "Because I'm not a shinobi."

"Yes, you are, especially if you are a Glass Release user," Baki replied, "When we return to Suna, I'll bring you in front of the Council to recognize you as one. Your efforts won't be ignored."

Hitomi took in a deep breath and her shoulders lowered a little as if something had unloaded off her back. She nodded at Baki. "Then I accept this mission."


	7. Finally

Gaara's blood was pumping and his heart beat wildly against his chest. However, on the surface, one couldn't tell from his blank expression while his eyes fixated on his opponent on the field below. A grin stretched Gaara's lips and it was anything but friendly. After a month of waiting, he can fight the Uchiha. He can finally kill the Uchiha.

In the background he could hear his older brother protesting. "Oy, Gaara. Remember the strategy-"

Their older sister quickly covered his mouth with her hand to stop Kankuro from saying anymore. She was always more level headed than Kankuro and always the one who tried to stop him from getting on Gaara's bad side.

The funny thing was both of them were far from Gaara's bad side. At the moment if they were on any side, they were on the "unimportant to deal with" side. At least, it was funny to Gaara.

Gaara ignored his siblings and turned to the steps in the back of the waiting area. It led down to a hallway, followed by another stairwell that would take him to his battleground. The sounds of his sandals hitting the concrete echoed through the walls in a steady, rhythmic pattern.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Yes, he could have easily just jumped over the railing to meet his opponent but he wanted to take his time; savor the moment before he could offer up the Uchiha's blood to his mother and his sand. _Yes, Mother, you'll like his blood._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

The sand in his gourd was stirring just as much as the blood in his own veins. With every step he took, it was a step closer to the fight he had been yearning for. A fight with the boy who had the same eyes as him. The ones filled with hate and loneliness that only came from suffering through the hell that is reality.

 _Oooh!_ , Shukaku screeched inside his mind, _Is it time to kill another human?_

 _Shut up_ , Gaara said coldly, _I'm doing the killing. You will stay out of this._

 _Yes, except you are using my sand_ , Shukaku cackled, _And mimicking my powers._

 _I'm using my own chakra, not yours,_ Gaara replied, _This battle is to verify my existence. It has nothing to do with you._

 _We'll see about that_ , Shukaku taunted, _As soon as you go to bed, I will take over and I will kill everyone in sight so that there will be no one left for you to verify anything._

Gaara rounded the corner to see two shinobis from Kusagakure waiting for him in the empty hall and he stopped.

 _Not if I kill everyone first_ , Gaara said.

 _Pwahahaha,_ Shukaku screeched, _You sure you don't want to use my chakra? You shouldn't waste any if you're going to take on an Uchiha. I'm getting some nasty vibes from him. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was the Old Man's son back from the dead._

 _I have no interest in what you think or what you know_ , Gaara replied tersely.

The two shinobis that stood before Gaara were talking to him but Gaara paid no attention to them. He caught the words "feudal lords" and "gambling matches" but he didn't care as he began to mix his chakra with his sand. He lowered his head while his sand rose and pushed up against the cork of his gourd.

 _I will take over you as soon as you fall asleep, you little brat_ , Shukaku swore, _Just because I enjoy watching you kill doesn't mean I'm happy being inside you._

 _At least we can agree on one thing_ , Gaara said as a vicious smile grew on his face and he opened his eyes so that both he and Shukaku can see the preys, _It's time to kill._

 _Yahooooo!_ , Shukaku shrieked in agreement and sand shot out of Gaara's gourd just as his chakra wind spliced the light bulbs overhead to make the hallway completely dark.

The two Kusa shinobis stiffened and one pulled out a kunai knife. A fearful look took over their faces when they felt the bloodlust coming from a child. Only one word came to mind for the both of them. _Monster_.

A thick wave of Gaara's sand lunged forward and wrapped itself around the shinobi with the kunai knife. The other Kusa shinobi was too paralyzed in fear to react. The sand tightened itself around its captive and the man cried out in pain. "Gahhhh! Let me go!"

"Sand Cof-" Gaara started to say.

"Gaara!"

"Scorch Release: Crimson Blaze!"

Baki's stern voice echoed through the hallway while a red, gust of wind came slashing down just a few meters in front of Gaara. It parted his sand and cut right in between Gaara and the shinobi, clearing the air just enough for Gaara to see the source.

It was a man with a Suna headwrap and a red t-shirt with a yellow smiley face printed on it. The wind blew the sand on the floor back enough for the man to have a clear landing. His feet touched the cold concrete and he held his weapon with both hands. The blade of the naginata was covered in red chakra; a mix of fire and wind.

Quickly, Gaara raised his hand and shot his sand at the intruder. The man was unfazed as he grabbed the once buried Kusa shinobi and flung him to the sandless end of the hallway, showcasing a high level of both speed and strength. "Hito?"

"Glass Release: Clarity," a calm, airy voice stated.

Two things happened that caught Gaara completely off guard. The first was that the sand on the ground and his sand spear was turned to clear glass, stopping the sand attack in its tracks. The sharp and pointed shard was mere centimeters away from stabbing the man right in between the eyes. If someone was to shine a light through the hallway at this very moment, they would've thought this was a tunnel of ice.

The second thing was that Gaara felt Shukaku flinch inside of him _. The First?!_ , his Tailed Beast shrieked in their shared mental space, _Is he back?_

Gaara's head started to pound and his heart began to beat unevenly. _What just happened?!_

"Gaara!"

The familiar voice drew Gaara's attention again. His eyes went towards the source and  the light at the end of the hallway, where it revealed the partially lit silhouette of Baki. Then Gaara's eyes narrowed when he spotted a girl kneeling right in front of the jonin's feet. Her long black hair was barely touching the floor as she crouched with her palms out and and on top of the glass. She slowly stood up and lifted her head so that he could see her face.

With her hands now resting gently in front of her stomach and her eyes shut, she looked almost like a life size doll. For a second Gaara couldn't tell if she was a real person or an intricately made puppet.

 _She did this?!_ , Shukaku shrieked.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked.

The girl ignored his question and smiled politely back. "Apologies, Gaara-san, but I cannot allow you to kill those two as they are in charge of guarding one of the Daimyos, I believe."

Her voice was soft yet confident like a strong breeze. She spoke just loud enough for her voice to barely bounce through the dark and drafty hallway.

"H-h-how did you know that?," one of the shinobis demanded.

"We saw you when we were with the rest of the Daimyos," the man with the naginata growled, not taking his eyes off of Gaara. He reached out and snapped the glass shard out of his face like a thin twig, "And you really want to stop and chit chat? Get the hell out of here while you're still alive."

"Don't mention this to your lord," Baki cautioned as the shinobis ran down the hall and away from Gaara, "I doubt you want to admit that you were bested by a kid anyways. Just tell him he was guarded and there was no way you could get near him."

"Y-Y-Yes. Thank you," the other Kusa shinobi stammered as they hurried off.

The veins along Gaara's face and neck began to tighten and he glared menacingly at the three people in front of him. "I will kill you all!"

"Maybe," the girl said, "But not now at least. You have a match with Sasuke Uchiha-san, after all."

The reminder of his battle made Gaara's whole body stiffen. Yes, his prey was waiting for him. Still, the chance to kill these meddlers was a little hard for him to pass up.

 _Kill them! Kill them all!_ , Shukaku shrieked.

"You can kill us now or kill us later," the girl stated as if reading their thoughts, "But you can only fight Sasuke Uchiha-san now. You won't get a better opportunity in the future."

 _Kyahahahaha,_ Shukaku cackled, _She's trying to barter with us. As if logic is what's going to save her life._

 _Shut up. I'll be making the decisions here_ , Gaara snapped but he slowly moved the cork back into its place. He did promise mother the blood of the Uchiha and if he let that chance slip by...

"Who…are...you?" he asked one more time. Each word rumbled with danger.

"My name is Hitomi Saboten," the girl said, "We've met before, Gaara-san. My father brought me to the Kazekage's office to meet Kazekage-sama and the elders. You were about to leave on your first C-Rank mission with Temari-san and Kankuro-san. I wished you luck but you didn't respond. I guess you didn't notice me then."

Gaara studied the girl and his hands twitched at his side.

"Gaara…" Baki said cautiously, unsure of what is going in Gaara's mind.

Gaara ignored the jonin and started to walk forward.

_Click._

He paused for just a moment when he heard the sound of his sandal against the glass that she had created. He blinked and then resumed his pace.

_Click. Click. Click._

He walked past the man with the naginata without even giving him a sideways glance. He began to see past the hallway and in the stairwell that led downstairs. He saw a tall, blonde haired woman standing in between Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki on the top steps. She had her hands on their shoulders, protectively holding them back.

_Click. Click. Click._

When he was about to walk past the girl, he paused so that they stood shoulder to shoulder with each of them facing opposite ends of the hallway. "Hitomi...Saboten...I won't forget you this time."

"Oy, Gaara-," Baki started to caution again but Hitomi held up her hand to stop him. Her polite smile was still fixed on her face, her eyelids firmly shut without even a twitch of movement, and she lowered her head.

"I look forward to the next time we meet," she said respectfully and in a measured tone, "Gaara-san."

Gaara's eyes narrowed and he turned to look at her. He could only see the top of her head from her bowing posture. Her hands were touching her legs so gently that it didn't even make any crease in her kimono. She must know that that the next time they meet, he would kill her so why would she say something like that? He couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or serious. He couldn't read her at all.

"Gaara?! Where are you? Are you coming to fight or not?" the official called out from the field, interrupting Gaara from his thoughts.

_Click. Click. Tap._

Gaara continued forward and his feet hit back onto concrete.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

The sound seemed to bring him back to his original thought. Yes. Now was not the time to deal with such trifling people when there was a more worthy target just within reach. Kill him now and then come back for the rest.

The sound of his footsteps bounced off the walls and punctured through the tense silence. He didn't pay any attention to the ones on the stairs, even though he did note that not just Naruto and Shikamaru, but even the woman was frozen in fear as he walked down the steps.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Soon the sound faded in the hallway as he stepped out into the field. The sun warmed his skin and the crowd cheered around him in anticipation for this fight. However, no one was anticipating it more than Gaara. His eyes fell on the Uchiha and the situation in the hallway completed erased from his mind. _Finally..._

* * *

As soon as Gaara's feet hit the grassy field outside, Hitomi sunk to her knees. She brought her hand to her chest and began to hyperventilate. Her mind was racing as much as her heart. The murderous intent and bloodlust that exuded from every grain of sand and every pore of Gaara's body was nothing Hitomi had ever experienced. She felt exhausted not just from the enormous burst of chakra she had to use to stop his sand but also mentally drained for trying to stay calm and composed.

"Breathe, Hito," she heard Tamotsu say as he helped her back onto her feet, putting a strong hold around her shoulders to keep her standing, "He's gone. You did good."

From the stairwell, Naruto and Shikamaru slumped onto the steps. Michiko stood behind them and she rubbed her arms with her hands as if her shivering was due to the temperature.

"I don't know what just happened," Naruto gasped and he looked over at Michiko, "But I feel like you guys just saved our lives...so thank you."

"Don't thank me," she replied and jutted a thumb up towards the tunnel, "All I did was make sure you guys didn't walk right into trouble."

"Ah," Shikamaru agreed as he wiped the sweat off of his brow, "If you guys hadn't showed up, we probably would have been killed."

"Or at least the two Kusa shinobis would be," Hitomi replied and Naruto's head snapped towards her.

"Ano-sa! Ano-sa!" he cried and pointed a finger at her, "Who are you and how did you freeze his sand?!"

"I didn't freeze it, Naruto-san," Hitomi said as she and Tamotsu walked over to the railing of the steps. She immediately gripped the metal bars and rested her head on it.

"It's not ice," she breathed. Her nose was close to the railing and the smell of metal reminded her of the scent of blood that came through Gaara's sand. She felt bile rise up her throat and she immediately jerked back her head.

It wasn't the first time she encountered that smell. Whenever Gaara had lost control and Shukaku had taken over, the scent of blood and sand would cover the entire village. No matter how many dust rags or handkerchiefs she flattened against her nose and mouth, it felt like the smell would seep into her soul. Afterwards, when all the citizens have evacuated the underground shelters and returned to their homes, the smell would linger in the air as a harsh reminder.

However, during those times, Hitomi would be far from danger and this time, she had stood shoulder to shoulder with it. It was one thing to experience it from a distance and it was quite another to be in its direct path. The bile rose up even more and her knuckles whitened around the railing.

"Then what is it then?!," Naruto demanded.

She forced herself to shift her attention on the voice and bright chakra that belonged to Naruto Uzumaki. Her eyelids twitched out of reflex from the blinding light in her mind. It was like she was staring at the sun. Underneath the brightness burned the hate and fury of his Tailed Beast. They were two separate chakras while Gaara's, in Hitomi's mind, was mixed almost completely with Shukaku's. If Naruto was the sun to Hitomi, then Gaara would be a heavy sandstorm.

"When lightning hits sand at a high enough temperature," she said as she straightened up, "It turns to glass."

"You're a lightning style user?," Shikamaru asked as he eyed the girl, "Are you even a shinobi?"

"That's none of your business," Baki replied tersely as he joined Hitomi and Tamtotsu at the railing, "Hitomi-chan, you should get going."

"We will as soon as Hito recovers," Tamotsu said.

"Baki-san," Hitomi breathed with her head still down, "You should return to your seat as well. You need to keep an eye on Gaara-san, don't you?"

Baki stared at her for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "Ah. I'll take my leave then. And you'll-"

"Yes," Hitomi replied, "I will be leaving soon. I just...need a minute..."

Tamotsu gave a casual wave to his senpai as Baki walked up the stairs but not before taking one last look at the glass covered hallway.

Tamotsu grinned. "Ya did good, Hito. How's your chakra level?"

"It's pretty low," she admitted, "If Gaara-san had launched another attack, I don't know if I'd be able to stop it in time."

"Well, good thing you were able to talk him out if it then," Tamotsu chuckled.

"I didn't know if reason would work on him," Hitomi admitted, "But we had to avoid a fight somehow, so I took a chance."

Michiko hurriedly rushed up the steps to the girl's side and started to rub circles on her back in an attempt to help. "Hito, do you want to sit down? Would that be better?"

"I just need a minute," Hitomi said, "And get some of my chakra back."

Tamotsu looked back at the hallway. Hitomi's glass had not only glazed over the floor but also reached halfway up the walls as well. He didn't expect Gaara to use that much of his sand and it was a lot more than Hitomi dealt with during their training.

"At any rate," Shikamaru sighed, "I've never seen someone just go for the kill without any hesitation. This isn't looking good for Sasuke."

A look of hope shot across Naruto's face. "Ah! But Sasuke has that fireball jutsu! He can heat up the sand and turn it into glass too, right?! Or does it have to be lightning?"

"Neither," Hitomi said, "This is my own jutsu that can't be recreated."

"Stingy," Naruto huffed, "You just don't want anyone to copy your moves."

"I think what she means is that it's her kekkei genkai," Shikamaru said and ignored the look of surprise from Tamotsu, "A combination of earth and lightning, I'm guessing?"

 _He's even smarter than I thought,_ Hitomi thought as she started to catch her breath. "Close," she said, "It's actually a kekkei tota."

"Hito!" Tamotsu and Michiko gasped at her honesty.

"Kekkei...tota?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Shikamaru shot an annoyed look at his fellow genin. It was so typical of Naruto to not remember something so basic. "It's one step above kekkei genkai. It's jutsu that combines three chakra natures."

"Chakra natures?"

"Ugh. Go ask Kakashi-sensei. It's a pain explaining things to you."

The mention of Kakashi made Naruto's eyes light up. "Oh!" he shouted at Hitomi, "You're like Haku!"

"WHO?!" Shikamaru asked exasperatedly.

"Kids these days," Hitomi said with a shake of her head, "They can never carry a complete thought."

"YOU'RE A KID TOO!" Shikamaru and Naruto shouted at the same time.

"You have to forgive her," Tamotsu chuckled, "She spends more time with history books and dusty scrolls than people her age."

"Seriously, who are you?!" Naruto demanded.

Hitomi lifted her head and she smiled down at the pair. "My name is Hitomi Saboten and I am from Sunagakure. It's a pleasure to meet you two," she said and bowed her head, "And congratulations on your wins."

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked, "I lost my match."

"There is victory in a strategic defeat," Hitomi replied.

Naruto looked curiously at Hitomi and he stretched his hands behind his head. The girl may be from Suna but she was not like Gaara and the others. There was no air of arrogance to her and she was surprisingly friendly. Just by looking at the girl, he wouldn't have guessed that she was able to stop Gaara's attack like that. For someone with that kind of power, he'd think she'd flaunt it and boast about it.

True, she looked absolutely winded from just that one move but it was still a good one. If he was in her shoes and had that kekkei...whatever Shikamaru called it...he'd definitely make sure others knew about it. "Ano-sa, you're not like the other Suna people we've met so far," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"They're all the same," Shikamaru grumbled and casted a wary glance at Hitomi and the two adults that stood by her, "All troublesome." _And not to be taken lightly..._

Hitomi did not take any offense but Naruto seemed to have, on her behalf. "Oy! Shikamaru, what kind of attitude is that?," he demanded as he gave Shikamaru a hard smack on the back, "They just saved our lives!"

Shikamaru had to reach out and grab the railing to stop himself from flying down the stairs. "Oy!" he shouted back at Naruto as he steadied himself, "It's not enough you pushed me into my own match? Are you just trying to take me out entirely?"

"I'm just saying, you should be more appreciative," Naruto said scornfully, "Who knows what would've happened if they didn't show up."

Hitomi smiled down at the two genins. "Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder in the future."

"Remember what?" Naruto and Shikamaru asked at the same time.

"That you have friends in Suna."


	8. Finding the Kazekage

“Do ya mind filling us in, Hito?” Tamotsu asked as he leapt from tree to tree with Hitomi carried on his back. They had left tKonaha and were racing towards the border. With each branch Tamotsu leapt to, the more the Chunin Exams seemed like a distant memory.

“On what?” Hitomi asked sleepily and Tamotsu stopped in his tracks to wait for Michiko to catch up.

“On...why...you just befriended people from a village we’re about to attack?” Michiko asked between breaths as she landed next to Tamotsu. Her eyebrows were furrowed while she concentrated on pooling her chakra to her feet.

“We’re not attacking them,” Hitomi stated, “Otogakure is. With Suna’s support.” 

“What’s the difference? They’re not going to be your friend after this. They’re going to think you left in order to avoid the invasion!” Michiko hissed and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“Maybe,” Hitomi said.

“No. Not maybe. Definitely!” Tamotsu replied.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Hitomi asked grumpily, “I really want to sleep before we get to the border.”

“Yes!” Tamotsu and Michiko demanded.

Hitomi let out a disgruntled sigh and rested her chin against Tamotsu’s shoulder. “Fine,” she grumbled, “The chances of us winning this invasion is 30%. If we lose, the only way to stop other villages from taking advantage of our weakened state is to keep the alliance with Konoha.”

“What makes you think Konoha will want to maintain an alliance?” Tamotsu demanded.

“Because they’ll face the same dangers as us,” Hitomi said, “I said it’s likely that we’ll lose. I never said anything about utter defeat. We’re likely to deal a lot of damage to Konoha. Besides, you heard Baki-san. This is an invasion led by Otogakure. If things go south, Suna can push the blame on Orochimaru-san. Why do you think Kazekage-sama and the Council insisted that we work only behind the scenes and kept majority of our shinobis out of the invasion?!”

“Then why do it in the first place?” Michiko asked.

“The Daimyos?” Tamotsu guessed and Hitomi nodded against his back.

“There are more shinobis from other villages protecting the Daimyos and dignitaries than ones from Suna. Even our own Daimyo hires Konoha jonins as his bodyguards. He’s been cutting our funds for years now and we’ve only been able to sustain ourselves with Kazekage-sama’s gold dust,” Hitomi said, “This is our attempt to prove that Suna has enough power to weaken Konoha, even if just by a little. They chose the Chuunin Exams to attack not only so that they could put Gaara-san in the center of town, but also so that they would be sure the Daimyos would be there to see it.”

“It always boils down to money and power, doesn’t it?” the former thief sighed.

“You don’t think with Gaara and Orochimaru, we’d be able to win?” Tamotsu asked.

“The odds would be better if Orochimaru was on our side,” Hitomi stated.

Michiko’s eyes widened.  “You think Orochimaru would betray us?” 

Hitomi scowled. “I think he already has.”

“Hitomi?!” 

All three of them stiffened at the sound of Katsuo’s hardened voice as he appeared on the branch in front of them, with a group of Suna jonins behind him. His Council robes were gone and replaced with his battle-ready jonin attire. 

Hitomi’s expression instinctively went blank, even though inside, she was cursing herself for being too tired to notice the incoming group.

“Hello...Father,” Hitomi said softly.

“What are you doing here?!” Katsuo demanded, “I specifically told you to stay home.”

“Actually, I believe we both agreed that you could not take me to the Chunin Exams yourself,” Hitomi stated, “I never said I wasn’t going to go myself.”

Tamotsu and Michiko were just as floored as Katsuo at her cheeky response. “Are you openly defying me?,” he asked.

“Just correcting your misconception, Father,” Hitomi said.

_ Is this because you’re tired? Or the fact that you’re getting closer to your goal?,  _ Tamotsu wondered as he readied himself to make a run for it, if need be.

“Katsuo-san,” one of the jonins said from a tree in the back, “We need to go soon. If we miss the signal-”

“Ah…” Katsuo said as he took a hard look at his daughter, “I assume since you’re going in the opposite direction that you know what’s about to happen.” 

Hitomi nodded.

There was a long pause before finally Katsuo tore his gaze away from her. “I will deal with you when I return,” he grunted and jumped forward.

“Safe travels,” Hitomi quipped as he passed, making him almost stumble on the limb.

She kept her face forward. Tamotsu, Michiko, and Hitomi stood silently as the group of Suna shinobis leapt past them. 

Hitomi’s head was beginning to pound and she rested her forehead against Tamotsu’s back. “Tamotsu,” she muttered, “I’m tired.”

“Okay,” Tamotsu said as he shared a worried look with Michiko. He adjusted Hitomi’s weight and held her tighter to him, “You can sleep now. I’ll wake you when we get to the Land of Rivers.” 

“Thank you,” she replied.

* * *

It took them three full days of non stop runnung to reach the border to the Land of Wind and Hitomi was glad to be back in the desert. As refreshing as it was to be in the Land of Fire, it was also very exhausting for her. From the plush forest that was tangled up with limbs and leaves to the people scurrying about in Konoha like ants, everything was just so busy. She was happy and slightly relieved to be back in the vast open land of sand, where things were calm and steady.

She stood on top of a sand dune with Michiko as Tamotsu walked forward to the plateau below. The sun shined down on her like a friend welcoming her back into his home. The sand was soft like a pillow beneath her feet and every once in awhile, a warmed breeze would brush over her face.  _ Yes, it’s good to be home. _

Tamotsu, on the other hand, was not taking the moment to appreciate his surroundings. He bit his thumb and then wove his hand seals before placing his palms onto the floor. “Summoning Jutsu!”

_ Poof! _

The smoke cleared and Tamotsu stood on top of the armored back of a large, light brown armadillo. It’s curled ears twitched and it lifted its head to look up at Tamotsu, who grinned down at it. “Hey, Chikyu! How ya been?”

“Wh-wh-what the hell is that?!” Michiko cried as she almost toppled off the sand dune.

“That’s Chikyu-sama,” Hitomi said, “She’s the leader of the armadillos that live in the Land of Wind. She keeps us safe when Tamotsu and I train in the Demon Desert. Armadillos eat scorpions and ants and the Demon Desert is swarming with them.”

“This is exactly why I don’t go with you guys when you train.” Michiko grimaced as she imagined herself standing in the middle of the the dark and infested tombs of Hitomi’s ancestors.

“Ah! Tomato-boy!” the armadillo smiled, showing its hard bony teeth and revealing a low, raspy female voice. Then it looked around and sniffed the air. The smile turned into a frown, “This isn’t the Demon Desert. Are we not training today? Where’s the pup?” 

Tamotsu sat cross legged down on her back and then pointed over at Hitomi. “Right over there, Chikyu.” 

MIchiko helped Hitomi down from the sand dunes and they walked towards the armadillo, who gave Hitomi a light nudge with her nose. Hitomi smiled and patted the armadillo on the head. “Hello, Chikyu-sama. How’s the family?”

“Fine. Fine. Everyone’s fine,” Chikyu rasped, “My brother moved to the Land of Lightning. He finally had it with this place. The sun makes his make-up melt too much.”

“Armadiko left?” Tamotsu asked with a raised eyebrow as he leapt off her back, “Well, I guess it was about time. He did really hate the sand.”

“So what’s up, Tomato-boy?” Chikyu demanded, “I know you didn’t just call me here to talk about the family.”

“Actually, this does relate to your family a little bit,” Tamotsu said and he looked over at the girl, “Hito? Want to explain?”

“We’re looking for the Kazekage,” Hitomi said, “And we need to use your family network.”

Chikyu’s ears twitched. “Can’t you find him with your Sensory Jutsu?”

“Only if he’s still alive,” Hitomi replied, which made Chikyu’s ears twitch even more, “And we’re in a rush.”

“I see,” Chikyu said slowly and then she gave a firm nod, “Alright. Give me two minutes. My grandson’s burrow is right beneath us. I’ll tell them to spread the word to the rest of the families.”

With that, her sharp pointed claws started to dig into the sand, flinging piles of it every which way. She vanished beneath the desert, leaving Michiko and Tamotsu to hurriedly pull Hitomi out of the mound of sand Chikyu had inadvertently piled on her.

“What does she mean by family network?” Michiko asked while swiping her hands down the front of Hitomi’s kimono to get all the the granules off the smooth green fabric..

“Chikyu’s family is spread all across the desert,” Hitomi replied, not even flinching when Tamotsu grabbed a fistful of her hair and shook it back and forth like a towel to get the sand out, “If we have them help in the search, we’d be able to cover more surface area.”

Chikyu’s head popped out from the sand. Then another armadillo’s head appeared next to hers. The second armadillo was much smaller than Chikyu and it had long, fluttery eyelashes. 

“All set,” Chikyu said as she climbed out from beneath the sand, “My grandson and his children are going to go alert the other family members. This is my grandson’s wife. She is going to start looking around the border for us. We’ll take the route that leads straight back to Suna.”

“No,” Hitomi said, “We’re going to go North.”

“North?” Tamotsu and Chikyu asked at the same time.

Hitomi nodded, “Towards Otogakure…”

Michiko’s eyes widened. “You think the Kazekage is at the Sound?”

Hitomi shook her head. “There are five main routes that lead Suna to Konoha. If Kazekage-sama took one of them, someone would’ve found him by now...Which means most likely he wasn’t going to Suna…”

“I see,” Tamotsu said as he crossed his arms and frowned, “And it’s likely that he would be somewhere closer to Otogakure for them to intercept him.”

Hitomi nodded and Chikyu’s ears twitched. “Very well,” the armadillo finally said and she nodded at her grandson’s wife, “Go ahead and we’ll regroup at my home at the end of the day if you find anything.” 

The second armadillo bowed its head and then curled into a tight ball. She rolled away at dizzying speed. 

“Thanks, Chikyu,” Tamotsu smiled, “What would I do without ya?”

Chikyu snorted. “You’d be long dead, that’s for sure.”

Her head went down and then back up as she studied Michiko. Then she gave a wink to Tamotsu, “So is this the girl you’re always talking about?”

Immediately, Tamotsu’s face went beat red. “Oy, Chikyu-” he started to protest.

“You talk about me, you ol’ Tomato?” Michiko mused and placed her hands on her hips, “What did he say, Chikyu?” 

“A lot, actually,” Chikyu said, “But mostly that you’re-”

“She’s the only other person I see on a daily basis besides Hito, Chikyu!,” Tamotsu protested before Chikyu could say anything more, “Of course I’d talk about her often, Chikyu.”

He then turned to Michiko. “D-Don’t think anything of it. Just while Hitomi is training, I gotta talk to someone, ya know? And there’s not much to talk about,” he blustered.

Michiko rolled her eyes. “Men,” she scoffed, “Always complain about us but they never stop talking about us either.” 

“Amen,” Chikyu agreed with a nod and then she flashed a toothy smile to Tamotsu, “I like her.” 

“Don’t go ganging up on me now,” Tamotsu huffed as Chikyu curled up so that her tail was tucked under her with her stubby arms out in the air.

“You’re the one who has surrounded himself with all females,” Hitomi pointed out. 

Tamotsu grimaced  as he lifted her up and handed her to Chikyu. “Not you too, Hito!” 

Michiko laughed. “Chikyu, I think we’re going to get along just fine.” 

“You say that now…” Hitomi said and Michiko looked curiously at the girl, while Tamotsu climbed into Chikyu’s lap.

“What do you-”

Before she could finish, Chikyu pulled Michiko against her with her other hand and curled herself fully into a ball. She rolled at breakneck speed with Michiko, Tamotsu, and Hitomi confined against her body. Michiko turned green in the face and almost lost it when Chikyu soared through the air . She had ramped up the tall sand dunes only to come crashing down seconds later. The armadillo didn’t even pause and continued to speed through everything. Michiko clamped her hands over her mouth and she prayed that this makeshift hamster ball ride will soon be over.

Hitomi kept her eyes squeezed shut as she concentrated on sensing anything remotely close to the Kazekage’s chakra signature. Everything was dark in Hitomi’s mind, which was typical of this barren land. The only place she knew that had almost as much life as Konoha was the capital, as it was built around one of the three oases in the Land of Wind. However, the capital was on the opposite end of the country from where she was so Hitomi saw no one past Chikyu.

Suddenly, Chikyu jerked to a stop, which made Michiko gag a little. The armadillo started to make little sniffs in the air and her ears twitched. 

“What? Do you sense something?” Tomatsu asked.

“Bugs...Lots of them, about two km northeast of us,” Chikyu said.

“Scorpions or ants?” Hitomi asked.

Chikyu shook her head. “These are not the giant ones found in the Demon Desert, little pup. These are smaller ones.” 

The group fell silent as Chikyu breathed in deeply through her nose. A shudder coursed through the armadillo’s body. “I smell...death.” 

She moved forward at a slower pace and after a few minutes, she stopped at the peak of a sand dune. She unfurled her body and the three humans toppled out of there with only Michiko lying limply on the ground, gasping for air. Hitomi and Tamotsu  stood up and Tamotsu guided Hitomi forward. 

“Careful,” he cautioned, “We’re near a rocky cliff. Just take two small steps forward...and...yes. Just stop here.” 

Hitomi could hear a swarm of insects buzzing about from somewhere below. Judging from the sound, she guessed it was no more than a 3 meter drop from the edge of the cliff. 

A nauseating stench hit her nose. Then, she felt her face get pressed against Tamotsu’s stomach as he spun her around and flattened her against him. In that instant, Hitomi knew what they had come across.

“We found him,” she muffled.

“Ah,” Tamotsu replied, knowing full well that Hitomi couldn’t see the overheating corpses of two Suna jonins and the Kazekage. However, he still wanted to shield her from exposing her other senses to this. She was still a child, after all.  She had plenty of time to familiarize herself with death and if he was determined to prolong it for as long as he could.

He looked over his shoulder back at the bodies. The sand beneath was dry and cracked but with no trace of blood as it had either dried from the sun or seeped deep into the ground below. Judging by the amount of bugs and the state of the sand, Tamotsu figured they had been dead for over a week at least.  

“Chikyu,” he ordered without looking away from the crime scene. His voice was just as hardened as his facial expression, “Take Michiko back to Suna.” 

“But-” Michiko started to protest.

“Go get one of the elders and a group of medical nins,” he stated.

“Get Goza-san,” Hitomi said as she took a step back from Tomatsu’s hold and turned to Michiko, “He’s the representative on the Council for the Hoki Tribe. He’ll be able to get the right people to investigate this.” 

“He’s not going to come with me!” Michiko protested, “Hito, why don’t you-”

“Just tell him the curse has not yet lifted,” Hitomi replied, “He’ll know what it means.” 

“The curse?,” Michiko murmured, “Fine...I’ll go and- AHHHH!!! I’m not ready! Chikyuuuuuuuu...”

Chikyu swept Michiko up back into a ball and shot off into the distance. Michiko’s cries faded into the stale desert air.  A silence fell over Tamotsu and Hitomi with only the low hums of the fluttering insects as any source of noise. 

”Tamotsu…” Hitomi said softly.

“Yeah?” 

“Sometimes we just can’t beat the odds, can we?”

“It’s just us now, Hito. You don’t have to put up a polite front or be formal. You can say it. It sucks being right sometimes.” 

Hitomi nodded. “It sucks. It definitely sucks.”

  



	9. Verdict

Hitomi stood patiently outside the Council room and waited to be called in. It had been a full day since they had returned to Suna. It also meant that it had been four days since the Chunin Exams.

Goza, the Council member, had arrived to retrieve the Kazekage's body with two medical shinobis and two ANBU shinobis. They had quickly taken over the scene and Goza was insistent that Hitomi and her group leave it with them.

The gossip in Suna blew freely with the wind and since Hitomi's return, word had spread about the Kazekage's death along with news regarding the Konoha invasion. More shinobis returned on stretchers than on foot. An alarming number of them had cloths draped over their faces and were carried to the morgue. The whole village was beside itself with the current state of things.

Hitomi didn't know if her father had returned back to the village yet. Given the situation, she wouldn't be surprised if he was pulled into meetings left and right for both the Council and the Hatsu tribe and did not have time to come home. However, she knew for sure he had returned when she was summoned to appear before the Council.

A ticking clock echoed through the bare clay walls and Hitomi tilted her head towards Tamotsu, who stood by her side with his back leaned against the wall and his arms folded in front of him.

"What time is it?" Hitomi asked quietly.

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow and then stood up straighter so he could see the clock that was nailed right above her head. "12:15...Don't worry. We'll make it in time."

"I hope so," she said before the door across from them opened. She recognized the chakra nature of the man, who was coming to collect them. He was the right hand man of Tojuro, one of the higher ranking Council members.

"Hitomi-san. They're ready for you," the jonin said.

Hitomi drew in a deep breath and placed her hand on Tamotsu's arm. He guided her through the doorway while she scanned the room. It was a full house with only one vacant seat around the Council table. It was the spot reserved for the Kazekage. It was the seat with its back facing three large statues of the previous Kazekages, symbolizing that the one who sat there carried the ambitions and dreams of his predecessors.

We'll need to start making one for the Fourth, Tamotsu thought grimly as he looked at the living bodies around the room.

11 council members sat at the table, consisting of six tribal heads, including Hitomi's father, and five well-respected shinobis. Each of their attendants stood along the back of the room, most of them vying for a spot at the table one day. Then, his eyes moved to the side of the room and they widened when they spotted Kankuro, Temari, and Baki, who had his right arm in a sling.

"Please stand here," the jonin who escorted them in stated and he pointed at a spot directly in front of the second Kazekage's statue.

Tamotsu guided Hitomi to the space and he was suddenly very much aware that all eyes were on them. The spot was right at the front of the room and all occupants would be able to get an unobstructed view of them.

Tojuro, the oldest presiding member of the Council and head of the ANBU, leaned forward in his seat. He sat directly facing the Kazekage's seat, which meant he faced Hitomi and Tamotsu as well. Hitomi's father sat directly at his right.

Tojuro rested his elbows on the table and he folded his hands together. "Hitomi-chan," he said. His voice was disarmingly gentle for the given situation, "Do you know why we called you in?"

Tamotsu could feel the subtle pressure on his arm from Hitomi's fingers. He resisted the urge to chuckle. Tojuro was either being delicate because he saw her as a child or because she was blind. Either way, Hitomi didn't care much for it.

She smiled politely back. "I'd rather not assume. Why don't you tell me, Tojuro-san?" she asked.

Tamotsu couldn't hold back anymore and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips while the men shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"Oy!" Kankuro shouted impatiently from the back of the room, "You're the one who knew my dad wasn't at the Chunin Exams. Why didn't you say anything to us? Why didn't you-"

"Kankuro," Temari whispered, "Stop it. We were all under orders and keep your voice down. This is a sacred place and we aren't here to-"

"Damn it. Our dad is dead, Temari," Kankuro snapped, "And all these people can talk about is who should take his place and move on. They don't even seem sad that he's gone!"

"I am very sad for your loss, Kankuro-san and Temari-san, but there is a time to mourn and grieve," Hitomi said softly, "Now is not the time."

"Don't tell me that I can't grieve for my father," Kankuro shouted, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am a concerned citizen of Suna," Hitomi answered, "And our village had just failed an attack on our own ally, our forces have been cut by at least 20%, and we have just lost our leader. Our future is at risk and that takes precedent. The past can wait."

The Council members murmured to each other while Tojuro raised an eyebrow and nodded at Katsuo. "I see that your daughter takes after you in more than just looks, Katsuo-sama," he said with approval and then he looked around the table.

"It is clear from Goza-san and Baki's reports that Orochimaru and the Sound is behind the murder of the Kazekage. It is also becoming apparent that they had taken advantage of our strained relationship with the Land of Fire," he said, "We can deal with that later. Hitomi-chan is right. What's important is that we figure out what we should do now before the situation worsens and that we should look towards stabilizing our future."

He stated the last part while looking in the direction of Kankuro and Temari. Then he took a deep breath and returned his attention on the girl he had just called in, "Hitomi-chan, we were told by Baki that you were able to sense Orochimaru at the Chunin Exams, is that true?"

Hitomi nodded.

"We were also told that you were able to stop Gaara from attacking two shinobis right before his match..."

Hitomi could hear everyone shift closer in their seats towards her and the whole room fell intensely silent. She nodded again.

"How?"

Hitomi tilted her head in confusion and looked towards Baki.

"I thought it best if they heard it from you," he said.

"Ah," Hitomi replied in understanding, "I turned his sand to glass."

The room changed instantly into a shouting match from various Council members. The voices were a mix of surprise, confusion, and anger. The only voices Hitomi didn't hear were the ones belonging to Tojuro and her own father, despite having a lot of the shouts directed at the latter.

"Oy! Katsuo-sama, why didn't you tell us your daughter was a candidate?! What else have you hidden up your sleeve?"

"This can't be true. I'm sure this is a mistake. She couldn't have used the First's kekkei tota. She's not even a shinobi!"

"Unless, Katsuo-sama, you trained her in secret. What exactly are you trying to pull here?"

Hitomi took four steps forward and knelt down to the ground. She raised her hands up in the air and felt her kimono sleeve fall down to her elbows. Then she clasped her fingers together right in front of her hands.

"Inu," she said softly and wove the sign of the dog. Three men fell silent around the table.

"Oy, Hito," Tamotsu warned under his breath, "Conserve your chakra. You'll need it to-"

"Ushi," she continued and changed her hands to the sign of the ox. Two other men stopped mid-sentence.

"I," she continued, the sign of the boar. The room was now very quiet with all the attention redirected around her.

"U. Tatsu," she finished with the last signs of the hare and the dragon, "Hiden Jutsu. Glass Release: Preservation."

Instantly, an hourglass encased around her with her kneeling on the bottom half of the glass container. There was no sand anywhere. The only contents was Hitomi herself.

Tamotsu sighed and walked towards the glass. It was just as tall as he was and he rapped the top of it with the knuckles of his index finger. The solid sound that rang out from it showed just how thick and sturdy the glass was.

"Alright. Ya made your point, Hito," he cautioned lowly so only she could hear him. Both of them aware of just how much chakra she was draining with each second spent sustaining the glass frame, "Now get outta there."

"H-H-How dare you use ninjutsu here in this room!" one of the Councilmen yelled indignantly, "This is a sacred place where any type of jutsu or attack is strictly forbidden."

"Given that she did it merely as a demonstration," one of the newest Council members, Yura, pointed out, "And the fact that she did a jutsu that is the village symbol is based off of, I see it as a fitting tribute than an attack. Don't you think?"

"Release," Hitomi said and the hourglass vanished from sight. She stood back up and she nodded her head towards her father. "Apologies for not telling you sooner, Father. I knew you would not have been pleased had you have known that I wanted to be a shinobi."

"A Glass Release user," Tojuro said and his eyes moved to the statue of the First Kazekage, "And able to replicate a jutsu from the First himself...That's very impressive...but how?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Katsuo said, finally breaking his silence and looked over at Tamotsu, "She entered the First's tomb."

"In the Demon Desert?!" The Council members whispered in horror, "Her?! But she's just a child!"

"So I take it you had no idea about this?" Tojuro asked quietly and Katsuo frowned, creating more harsh lines around his face.

"It seems my daughter is not only proficient in ninjutsu but also in discretion as well," he said.

"A good shinobi succeeds in his missions. A true shinobi does it in the shadows," Hitomi replied, "At least that's what great great grandfather wrote."

Even the jonins that stood along the walls gaped at her and they began to whisper amongst themselves. "So she has been in there."

"That little girl?! How?!"

"Oy, Temari," Kankuro hissed at his older sister, "What's the deal with the First's tomb?"

"Stop playing with puppets and pick up a book once in awhile," Temari huffed and rolled her eyes, "The First and his family were buried in a family tomb outside of the village. It is said that the First built the tomb himself and wanted to create a place where he could store his most valuable treasures and pass down his most powerful jutsus to his descendants. Only members of his bloodline had access to the tomb but then shortly before the Second Kazekage's death, the area was infested with monstrous scorpions and insects. Not even the members of his own bloodline could get in. We now know that area as the Demon Desert."

"Ah," Baki added, "Many have died trying to enter the tomb in hopes to gain the treasures the First had stored in it. It also didn't help that the First sealed it with his own kekkei tota, thinking his descendants would be able to unseal it. Thus, the Second Kazekage had no choice but to create the giant fence and guarding posts around the Demon Desert to keep people out. It made the location and the contents of the tomb become a mystery."

His eyes then narrowed at the girl inside the hourglass. "But it seems it's a mystery no longer."

"How long have you been training?" Kankuro asked.

"That's not important," she replied, "What is important is that I am not a recognized shinobi but I would very much like to be."

"It seems we are in agreement on the issue at hand," Tojuro said and he looked around at his peers, "As we all have just witnessed, Hitomi-san has the ability passed down to her by the First."

He then leaned back in his chair. "But at the same time, the fact remains that Hitomi-san is blind," he stated bluntly.

"Oy! But she can sense-" Tamotsu started to say but Tojuro held up a hand for silence.

"We have been informed of her sensing ability," he said, "But the basic requirements of a shinobi is to be physically sound. On one hand, we can't argue that her level of sensing is excellent, having discovered Orochimaru's presence by herself. On the other, she is not capable of doing solo missions and is at risk, if left alone. It creates an added burden on future team missions."

"I can protect her. I can-" Tamotsu argued but now it was Katsuo's turn to hold up a hand.

"That may be true but I know my daughter better than you think. Hitomi, you wouldn't want to be known as a shinobi who has to have a bodyguard at all times, do you?"

"Ah," Hitomi agreed, "And I can promise the Council that my lack of sight will not be a burden on anyone in any type of mission that I am assigned to."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," another Council member said, "You don't even know what sort of missions are out there."

"True," Hitomi replied calmly, "But isn't it the Kazekage and the Council's job to find the appropriate mission for me?"

Tamotsu smirked at the incredulous looks on their wrinkled faces. She's got them there.

"I will relinquish my shinobi title if a mission fails because of me," Hitomi said, "You are welcome to rescind the title but all I ask is that you give it to me first. Give me a chance."

"Failing a mission is one thing," a Council member grumbled, "But if you were to die in the process, that means the First's bloodline would end too."

"But since she does have the First's kekkei tota that means she's not just a candidate. She is the Guardian!" another man argued.

"Just because she stopped Gaara once, doesn't mean she could stop Shukaku. I doubt she has full control of her powers," someone else shot back, "You can't call her the Guardian yet!"

"Guardian?" Kankuro asked and this time even Temari looked over at Baki for answers.

"It was the First who was able to subdue Shukaku during the initial attacks he unleashed on our village. The First became known as the Guardian of the Sand," Baki explained, "Later in his life, it also was clear that no one in his family had inherited his unique power. Thus, the Second Kazekage began to research creating a jinchuriki and sealing Shukaku into a person."

Baki frowned. "Still, the Council did not give up hope and they've been eyeing the descendants of the First, in hopes that one day one of them would awaken that kekkei tota and take up the title of the Guardian once more."

"Without the Kazekage here," Tojuro said in a raised voice, to get everyone's attention, "We, as the Council, would have to decide for ourselves in regards to Hitomi-san's status. I call for a vote."

"I ask that Katsuo-sama not be allowed to vote," a Council member with three purple streaks down his cheeks requested. Hitomi recognized his voice and chakra nature as Ikanago, the head of the Aizumi tribe.

Katsuo raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid that my role as Hitomi's father would affect my vote in some way?"

Ikanago nodded. "You will probably vote for her not to be a shinobi, in order to protect the bloodline and your own standing amongst the Hatsu tribe and on this Council."

Katsuo glared at the Council member. "Are you saying that I am only sitting here because of the existence of my own daughter?"

"Can you honestly say that you're not here in some way because of her? After all, the only reason why you are even a member of the Hatsu tribe is because of who you married."

Tojuro clapped his hands together. "Alright, alright. There's no reason for this to get personal," he said, "I leave the choice up to Katsuo-sama, whether he votes or not."

Katsuo looked over at Tojuro. He knew Tojuro was only doing so to give him a polite way out of the voting process. If he chose to vote, he would be basically making a stance to the Council that he valued his own opinion more than the opinions of his peers. "I will not vote."

"Very well," Tojuro said, "Now, all in favor of recognizing Hitomi-san as a genin, please raise your hand."

His own hand went up as well as four others. Tojuro frowned. "Oh my...Does this mean...the rest of you are opposed to the idea?"

The other five members nodded their head.

"Well, it seems we're at a tie," Katsuo said with a raised eyebrow, "Should I be the tie-breaker then?"

"Apologies on the interruption...but if you don't mind, Father," Hitomi said, "I have a suggestion."

"Oh?" Both Katsuo and Tojuro asked.

"Allow me to take the graduation exam," she said, "Test me as you would any shinobi hopeful. Wouldn't that settle the doubts of my capabilities?"

The Council members that voted in Hitomi's favor smiled a little at the girl's request while the ones, who did not, gave her a wary look.

"That does seem like a logical compromise," Tojuro said, "Shall we put that to the vote instead then?"

The Council members looked at one another and then nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Tojuro said, "All in favor of allowing Hitomi-san to take the graduation exams?'

Seven hands rose and Tojuro gave a firm nod. "It seems we have our verdict. Hitomi-san, we will enroll you into the next round-"

"Apologies for interrupting again," Hitomi said patiently, "But I believe the graduation exams are today and they will start the round for non-academy students at 2pm. If I leave now, I can still make it."

There was a stunned silence as the adults took in what Hitomi just said. Tamotsu just smirked and then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it as best as he could and held it up for the whole room to see.

"Here's the paperwork. I already signed it as the shinobi responsible for her training. All that's left is the signature for the parental consent," he said with a grin.

All eyes moved to Katsuo, who was unable to contain his displeasure. His lips were pursed and there were deep frown lines all around his mouth. He watched stonily as Tamotsu sauntered over and placed the form in front of him.

He said nothing as Tojuro handed him a pen. He had to sign it whether he liked it or not. The Council had voted for it, after all. He signed his name quickly, not even bothering to look at the actual contents of the form. He couldn't even bring himself to look at the picture of her that was stapled to the top left corner, for identification purposes. It was all he could do to suppress his rage and fury. He did not like his hand being forced, especially by his own daughter.

"Thank you, Katsuo-senpai," Tamotsu said breezily and he folded the paper back into his pocket.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until the next round? You don't need time to prepare?" Tojuro asked.

Hitomi shook her head. "A shinobi should always be ready to go on a mission at a moment's notice," she recited, "Isn't that one of the 25 basic principles of a Suna shinobi?"

Tojuro couldn't help but smile at the girl. "Very well. Ikanago, Goza, send one of your men to go to the Academy with Hitomi-san. They will witness the outcome of the exam and report back to us."

It was not lost on anyone that Tojuro had chosen two Council members who had voted differently as to keep it fair.

Hitomi bowed her head. "Thank you very much for this opportunity," she said.


	10. The Other Exam

###  A wind blew gently across the roof of the Kazekage’s headquarters and swept a thin layer of sand over Gaara’s feet. His chest barely touched the railing from his leaned position as he studied the streets below. _Why do I exist? What is my purpose?_

_ To kill, of course!,  _ Shukaku screeched,  _ Don’t tell me you’re letting that brat get into your head just from one little setback. _

Gaara ignored the tanuki and his eyes caught a boy running circles around his parents, who were strolling leisurely with proud smiles on their faces. The little boy held a Suna headband proudly up in the air. In his excitement, he didn’t see a rock protruding out from the street and he tripped over it. Quickly, his father leapt into action and caught the boy by the back of his shirt. The son laughed sheepishly as his mother inspected him for any wounds.

The embarrassed grin on the boy’s face sent Gaara’s mind to the boy at Konoha, who was very clumsy but also had people around him and supported him.  _ Naruto...Uzumaki… _

He was so different from Gaara but at the same time, they were so similar.  _ Why do  _ you _ exist, Naruto? _

Naruto’s voice rang out in Gaara’s head. “I’ve met people who are very important to me now and I won’t allow those people to get hurt!”

Gaara felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a very long time.  _ A wound of the heart. Nothing has more trouble healing...Isn’t that right, Yashamaru? _

His head began to pound and the usual feeling of rage and torment rushed over him at the mere thought of his deceased uncle. Gaara leaned his elbows against the railing and buried his head in his hands.  _ Mother! Don’t be angry. I didn’t forget. You wanted me to be the devil that only fights and loves himself. You wanted me to destroy your hated village, the village that sent you to your own death. The village that didn’t care for you at all! _

“G-Gaara...S-Stop!” 

Gaara’s head snapped up and he turned around to see his sand wrapped tightly around his brother, while his sister stood at the entrance to the roof in complete terror.

“Gaara! Please, listen to your sister, okay?” Temari continued to plea, “We weren’t trying to sneak up on you!”

“Sister?” Gaara repeated, as if hearing that word for the first time. 

_ Kill him! Kill them all!,  _ Shukaku cackled.

“Please!” Temari shouted again. The grief of losing her father and the anxiety and fear that her younger brother was inflicting on Kankuro was just too much for her to hold in completely. Her voice wavered slightly as she placed herself between Kankuro and Gaara, “Don’t hurt him, Gaara. He’s our brother!” 

Gaara’s sand released and Kankuro dropped onto the ground, gasping for breath, as Temari rushed to help him up. “Kankuro! Are you okay?” she asked.

“That’s right,” Gaara said slowly as his hands clutched the side of his head, “I have a brother...and a sister...and we lost the same mother...”

“And father,” Kankuro spat, “Am I the only one around here who actually cares that dad is dead?!”

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted off of the floor by the collar and staring down in the glaring face of his older sister. “Don’t you  _ dare- _ ” she started to thunder and then she stopped herself short. Her eyes welled up with tears and she released her hold. She covered her face with her hands and her tears began to pour out from between her fingers as her palms.

  
Kankuro fell back onto the mound of sand for the second time. He didn’t even bother getting up. Instead he just leaned back on his elbows and stared at his family. Although, to him it felt like he was caught in a genjutsu and he was exposed to a distorted version of his family.  _ Both my parents are dead. My usually robotic sister is crying and my psychotic younger brother has suddenly shown interest in our family tree?!  _

Kankuro sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry, Temari,” he said quietly, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

_ Temari...protects Kankuro...and Kankuro cares about Temari,  _ Gaara thought,  _ Is that what siblings do? Do they do that with me? _

“Oy...What’s taking you three so long?” Baki stepped through the door and raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. He chose to ignore it and he fixed his attention on Kankuro, “You two were supposed to bring Gaara in front of the Council. They’re all waiting to hear what happened on your end.”

“Sorry,” Kankuro grumbled as he got this feet, “We ran into some...family trouble”

Temari took a deep breath and began to wipe her face. “I’m…I’m sorry. I just felt a bit overwhelmed...Give us a minute and we’ll be down.” 

“You might need more than a minute,” Kankuro said at the state of Temari’s slightly moist face and reddened eyes.

“Here,” To everyone’s surprise, Gaara ripped off a piece of the white cloth draped around him and it floated gently on his sand towards his sister, “You can use that.”

They stared at him in silence, unsure of what to do before Temari timidly took the cloth. 

“Thank…-” she started to say.

“Make way! Make way! Big shot, coming through!” 

Baki groaned at the sound of the boisterous voice that echoed from the streets below. He walked over to the railing and glanced down at the spectacle Tamotsu was making while escorting Hitomi to take her exam. Soon, Temari, Kankuro, and even Gaara were next to him to take a look themselves.

“Must he be so flashy?” Baki scoffed, “She’s going to draw a lot of attention as it is.”

“What do you mean?” Kankuro asked, “Because of her bloodline?”

Baki shook his head, “You and Temari took the exams as an Academy student so you don’t know...about the other exam.”

“The other exam?” Temari and Kankuro asked in unison.

Baki nodded, “Ah. It’s an exam that is open to the public. Some tribes are very secretive about their skills and the jutsus they pass down. The children in those tribes with the most potential are usually kept out of the Academy and taught in private...Since the Council and the village doesn’t have enough time or resources to host two different evaluation committees, the Academy is tasked with hosting the exams for both sets of shinobi-hopefuls. Of course, this creates somewhat of a competition between the private tutors and the Academy administration. The Academy doesn’t want to be known for churning out sub-par students, after all.” 

“So the exams are different?” Kankuro guessed.

“Yes. The exam for the Academy students are much easier,” Baki explained, “It’s under the pretense that the Academy administrator have a better understanding of the skills and abilities of their own students but in actuality-”

“It’s so that the graduation rate for the Academy is higher than the ones that get taught privately, adding an incentive for parents to enroll their children through the school instead,” Temari concluded.

“But then being that the other exam is difficult, it also became somewhat of a presentation for the tribal leaders. They attend it to eye the power of the other tribes as well as see the potential within their own.”

“Like their own Chunin Exam,” Kankuro whistled.

Baki nodded. “And a lot of people will be upset if Hitomi passes.”

“How so?”  

They all turned to look at Gaara, who didn’t budge at all from his original spot and kept his eyes fixated on the street below. “How so?” he asked again.   
  


Baki was caught off guard by Gaara’s sudden interest but he didn’t let it show on his face.  “From the Academy’s standpoint,” he said, “They would be acknowledging someone they had deemed unfit a long time ago. It would also cause some parents to demand admission for their children, who the Academy has rejected in the past. From the Hatsu tribe’s end, it means that Hitomi will become the next leader. Even without her kekkei tota, the fact that the First’s blood runs in her veins is enough to put her in that seat once she becomes a full fledged shinobi. Whoever else was hoping to take that title will have to give up on that dream.” 

“But wouldn’t her own tribe be happy that another one of theirs has passed the exam?” Temari asked.

“She wasn’t trained by one of their own. Tamotsu’s from another tribe. If anything, they’d take offense to it,” Baki said, “Her passing will not reflect well on both the Academy and her own tribe.” 

“Hitomi Saboten,” Gaara said contemplatively, which made his siblings nervous.

It was never good when Gaara knew someone’s name. If they were important enough for him to remember, it meant they were important enough for him to kill. He leapt onto the railing and jumped over before they could stop him.

“Gaara-,” Temari shouted as she started to follow him but was grabbed back by Baki.

“Oy, you two. Go back to the Council and report what happened with Gaara at Konoha. I’ll follow Gaara,” Barki ordered.   


“But-” Kankuro started to say but Baki shot them a stern look.

“Go! That’s an order,” he said and then his expression softened slightly, “They’ll want to talk about funeral arrangements for Kazekage-sama after the meeting. You two should be there for that.”

Temari and Kankuro shared a look and then they conceded. “Fine,” Kankuro said as he stuffed his hands into his pocket and made his way toward the door, “Just be careful. Gaara has been acting weirder than normal.” 

“Why?” Baki asked.

“Don’t ask me,” Kankuro huffed, “Ask that Naruto kid.”

* * *

 

On the streets below, Hitomi tightened her grip on Tamotsu’s arm. “Tamotsu,” she said softly as she felt more and more people appear on the streets to see what he was yelling about, “Your shouting is having an opposite effect. It’s drawing more attention rather than clearing the streets.”

“I know,” Tamotsu chuckled as he pointed proudly at Hitomi and gave a thumbs up sign to the crowd, “But don’t you want all of them to know that you’re becoming a shinobi? These are all the people who thought you couldn’t do it!” 

“They’ll know soon enough…” Hitomi said.

“Get out of the way!” Tamotsu shouted as he hoisted Hitomi onto his shoulder for additional effect, “Can’t you see we’re about to make history?! Make way for Hitomi- _ sama! _ ”

“Tamotsu!” This time, Hitomi’s protests were much more forceful, “You know that title does not belong to me.”  

“It’s only a matter of time,” Tamotsu said as the Academy came into view, “You and I both know you’re going to blow through this exam.” 

“You never know,” Hitomi stated.

The Academy was located right at the edge of village. The large stone walls that surrounded Suna acted not only as an added protection to the school but also partially as the training grounds. The first three levels of the southwest corner were used explicitly by the school.

“Don’t tell me...She’s taking the exams?!” People began to mutter as Hitomi got closer and closer to the school building, “I thought they kicked her out!”

“Doesn’t matter,” someone scoffed, “It’s not like she’s going to get past the written exam. How will she even see the questions?” 

“Do you think the Council is that desperate for shinobis since we lost so many from the invasion?”

When they got to the entrance of the Academy, there was a rather large mob of people that followed them. Tamotsu pretended to ignore their mutterings, but inside he was bursting with anticipation to be able to throw all their assumptions back in their faces. He had been waiting to do so for several years.

Hitomi paused right in front of the doorway. Then she took a deep breath before kneeling down to the floor. She pulled back a sleeve of her kimono with one hand while placing the other hand on the sand. Her forehead creased as she concentrated her chakra into her palm. “Glass Release: Guidance.”

There was a collective gasp around them, even from the two jonins, as Hitomi stood up, pulling a glass staff from the ground. The staff was smooth and translucent with a perfect orb resting at the top. She tapped the bottom of the staff to the ground, using it as a walking stick. 

Hitomi did not hesitate to walk straight into the examination room. She didn’t react to the immediate silence that fell over the room filled with kids and their private tutors. She stood front and center of the room with her head slightly bowed, her hand gripping her sleek staff, and a polite smile on her lips while Tamotsu handed the examiner her registration papers. 

The examiner was a man in his early twentie but to Hitomi, he was an earth-based chakra user with a control at a level of a Chunin. His eyes darted between Hitomi and Tamotsu. His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. 

“That’s right,” Tamotsu grinned, “She’s taking the test.” 

His words was the spark that ignited the room because suddenly, everyone was laughing. A member of the Hoki tribe smirked at a fellow tutor of the Hatsu tribe.

“The Hatsus didn’t have enough people qualified to send to this exam so you guys brought her?” 

The Hatsu tutor turned up his nose. “Hmph. Well, she is not one of my pupils so she can’t possibly be here to represent our tribe. Besides…”

He placed his hand on the shoulder of a boy, who was seated at the front row. The boy had long brown bangs that framed around his sharp chin. It somehow seemed to draw attention to his narrowed eyes and the disdain on his lips. To Hitomi, he was an earth and wind user with not much control over his own chakra. The tutor looked at his pupil proudly. “Sajin was hand picked to represent the Hatsu tribe, in hopes that one day he will grow to become the leader. Hand picked by Katsuo-sama himself, by the way.”

Sajin snorted in response. “Yes. The only Saboten worthy of that honorific.” 

“So far…”

The laughter died down a little as Sajin glared at Hitomi. “What did you say?”

“The honorific ‘sama’ in the Hatsu tribe is only reserved for the recognized shinobis in the First Kazekage’s family,” Hitomi said calmly, “So yes. My father is only one who can be called ‘sama’ so far...but when I pass this exam, I can take up that name too.” 

“You mean  _ if _ ,” Sajin shot back.

“I wouldn’t be here  _ if _ I wasn’t sure of my abilities,” Hitomi replied.

“Like your ability to _ see _ ?!” Sajin snorted, which earned another round of laughter through the room.

The door of the examination room opened and the Headmaster stepped in. He was an old shinobi with more wrinkles on his face than grey hairs on his head, which he hid with the standard Suna turban. His smile was oily and his eyes were practically closed by his baggy eyelids and heavy eyebrows.

“Well, this is surprising. Usually this room is filled with nervous silence before an exam. I must say everyone is in good spirits today,” he chuckled. 

“Headmaster!” the examiner gasped as he rushed over to hand him Hitomi’s paperwork, “She...They...That is-”

The Headmaster took the papers but didn’t look at them. Instead, he raised his eyebrows to see Hitomi a bit clearer. His smile never faltered and neither did hers. “Ah, so I see you’ve returned, Hitomi Saboten.”

“Yes, Headmaster,” she said politely, “And I’m ready to take the exams.”

“Like I’ve told you and your late mother, god rest her soul, there is no point in you taking the exams as the first part is a written one,” he chuckled, “And...well, how do you plan on taking it? I won’t allow you to have another person write down the answers for you.”

There was subdued giggles and snickering around the room but Hitomi and Tamotsu paid them no mind. 

“I was actually hoping to take it orally. You could ask me the questions yourself. I can be separated from the other test takers but their tutors are welcome to watch me as witness,” Hitomi said.

“Y-You can’t do that!” the tutors and pupils alike all blustered, “That would be favoritism and-”

The Headmaster held up his hand to silence the room, “As thoughtful as your suggestion is, I-”

Hitomi nodded to Tamotsu, who dug into his sweatpants and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to the Headmaster with a flourish. “Ya might wanna take a look at this before ya make a decision,” he said with a wink and a grin.

The Headmaster skeptically unfolded the paper and immediately bursted into a cold sweat upon reading it's contents. He crumpled in his fist and hurriedly stuffed it into his sleeves before anyone else can see. His jovial face was now a face of anger and annoyance. “Fine. I will let you take the test orally.”

“BUT,” he barked, raising his voice to cut out the protests from the other test takers, “I will do it here, in front of everyone. To make it so that we don’t give them any of the answers, these question will be completely new and thought of by me. It will be rapid fire so you will only have three seconds to answer each question. If you get even one question wrong, you will leave and never return again.”

“That’s unreasonable!” Tamotsu growled incredulously, “Even the others just have to get 75% right to pass.”  

“If you don’t like it,” the Headmaster replied, “Then you can leave.”

“Are ya kidding?” Tamotsu yelled, “You’re not the one in position to-”

_ Tap. Tap. Tap. _

Tamotsu stopped mid sentence as Hitomi walked towards the Headmaster with her staff in one hand and her other one outstretched in front of her. “Deal,” she said softly, “I agree to your terms of the oral exams.” 

“But Hito,” Tamotsu hissed, “We don’t know how many questions, what kind of questions-”

“Happy to business with you, dear,” the Headmaster quickly cut in and shook the little girl’s hand. 


	11. Tough Luck

**** It only took three questions for the Headmaster to know that Hitomi’s knowledge of the shinobi rules, history, and basic strategy was beyond what was required for a Genin. It only took four questions for the rest of the room to realize none of that mattered because the Headmaster was determined to fail her.

He tried everything from lengthy, convoluted questions to questions regarding situations only Chunins and Jonins would find themselves in. When that didn’t work, he attempted to wear Hitomi out in hopes to catch her in a stumble.

“...and finally, a shinobi must never show weakness,” Hitomi finished in an even breath after forty three minutes of recitation, “Those are the all shinobi rules acknowledged by the Five Great Nations with the word ‘never’ in it. 213 in total and in order.” 

The Headmaster narrowed his eyes and closed the book that he was using as reference. “Very good,” he said gruffly, “And for my next-”

“Excuse me, Headmaster,” Hitomi interrupted softly, “But this is the 57th question you’ve asked me and I was wondering how many more I would need to answer.”

“As many as I want!” the Headmaster snapped, “You agreed to the rules after all!”

Hitomi nodded. “That I did. I’m not complaining. I’m just asking as a courtesy to the rest of the room as they have been waiting very patiently for their test to begin.” 

The Headmaster stiffened and he looked around the room. He had forgotten about the rest of the test-takers and most of them did not look pleased, especially their tutors. At first, they were all elated to see the humiliation of Hitomi but slowly their patience wore out while witnessing the Headmaster’s wild goose chase. 

“Headmaster,” the young examiner hissed at his supervisor, “Maybe it’s best if we finish her questioning.”

The Headmaster bristled and he directed his anger at Hitomi, “This test will be over when I say it is over. You all knew what you were in for when you signed up to take this exam. It says on the registration form that how long it takes is up to the Academy’s discretion!”

“That may be,” Hitomi said diplomatically, “But what about the ones who are not here to take the exam?”

“You mean your teachers?” 

“No,” Hitomi said and pointed a finger towards the door, “I mean them…”

The Headmaster turned around and his eyes fell on the two Council guards who were her witnesses and escorts.

“I’m sure the more time they spend here is less time with the Suna Council,” Hitomi continued, “And it would reflect poorly on  _ me, _ if they stayed here longer than necessary. Imagine...if a Council member actually had to come here himself to retrieve his men. He probably would have as many questions about this process as you do for me.”

A bead of sweat fell down the Headmaster’s forehead. The last thing he needed was a Council member poking his nose into this school. He cleared his throat again but this time his voice was less strong. “Very...very well. We will move on.”

He motioned to the examiner, “Please pass out the written exam to the rest of the group and...as for  _ you…” _

_ If looks could kill, _ Tamotsu thought to himself with a grin as he watched the Headmaster point a finger at Hitomi.

“You will wait in the next room until we are ready to commence the second part of the exam.”

“Yes sir,” Hitomi said with a slight bow. Tamotsu offered her his arm but she walked forward without taking it, using her glass staff as a guide. The Council guards were nice enough to open the door for her on her way. 

When the group entered the next room, which looked like the same lecture hall they had just exited, Tamotsu helped Hitomi into a chair and she rested her head on the desk. 

“Hitomi-san,” one of the guards started to say, “You did very-”

Tamotsu held up a hand towards the guard while putting another hand on the back of Hitomi’s head, stopping her from looking up. “No one talk. She needs to rest,” he said sternly, taking his role as her instructor to the fullest, “Gather your chakra. You will need as much as you can for the next two tests.” 

Hitomi wanted to acknowledge the guard’s compliment but she did feel very sleepy from the whole ordeal. However, she couldn’t quite relax entirely and get herself to nap. Ever since she walked into the first test, she had seen a ball of sand in her mind’s eye. It was floating near the back corner of the room. It was too small for anyone to notice. She initially thought it was some sort of jutsu the Headmaster had put in to dispel any cheating but the ball had discretely followed them into this room.

She wanted to tell Tamotsu but he was in full teacher-mode, which meant all his jokes and laid back attitude was replaced with focus and discipline. Plus, she didn’t want to alarm the two Council guards. Why make it a big deal? If someone wanted to watch her take an exam, they are more than welcome to. More witnesses would only work in her favor.

So for now, she won’t think too much about the ball of sand. If it is still there after she passes the exam, she’ll deal with it then. 

* * *

The second test was a target test with five clay targets standing at different heights and distances in the backyard of the Academy. Everyone who took the exam seemed to have passed but it was no surprise to anybody who the Headmaster chose to go first.

“You got this,” Tamotsu said to Hitomi as he helped her stand right behind a white line painted on the clay floor.

“Ah!” the Headmaster warned, “No talking. You cannot tip her off of where the targets are. She needs to find it on her own.” 

“Since when is that a rule?!” Tamotsu demanded. He stepped towards the Headmaster but Hitomi quickly pulled him back by the arm.  He looked back at her and she gave him an assuring nod and smile.

Tamotsu took a deep breath and put both his hands on the back of his head. “Alright, I’ll stay out of it,” he said and took several steps away from Hitomi, “But just for propriety, can you tell me  _ all _ the rules for this? Just don’t want Hitomi to get disqualified for something I did.” 

The Headmaster nodded. “Five targets. You miss a target, you fail. You miss a bullseye, you fail. You put any body part out of line, you fail. I mean it. I don’t even want a toenail to go past that line.” 

There was a murmur in the group. “Five bullseyes? But isn’t it usually just three out of the five?”

“The Headmaster is giving us such a hard time this year. I thought it would be smooth sailing this year.”

“It’s all because of her.” 

“That’s it?” Hitomi asked, cutting through the chatter. 

“Yes,” the Headmaster said.

_ “ _ Very well,” Hitomi said and she took five large steps back away from the line.

The Headmaster chuckled, “Trying to make it harder on yourself?”

Hitomi said nothing as she raised her glass staff with both hands. “Wind Release: Guiding Light.” 

She swung her staff outwards and a burst of wind chakra burst through her staff. Like in Naruto and Neji’s match, the chakra that swept through the grounds illuminated the terrain in her mind's eye. More importantly, it showed the silhouette of all five targets. Although it was for only a brief second, Hitomi committed it to memory and she dropped her glass staff. It shattered as it hit the ground while she pulled out five kunais from inside her kimono sleeve.

_ Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.  _

“Perfect score. Hitomi Saboten, passes!” the examiner gasped as Hitomi turned to Tamotsu, who was grinning ear to ear. Even the Council guards were clapping their hands in delight.

“Wait. You-You can’t-” the Headmaster blustered as the next kid stepped up to take his shot.

“Did I cross the line?” Hitomi asked with a frown, “I wasn’t sure if glass staff would clear three or four steps back so I took five just in case. Although, you did say body part and not weapon...Still, I thought I was being careful.”

“You were nowhere near the line,” Tamotsu said as he guided her away from the crowd, “You did everything they asked.”

He shot a look back at the Headmaster. “When ya ready for the next test, we’ll be over here,” he called with a grin. 

* * *

Upping the requirement from three bullseyes to five seemed to have a drastic effect on the test takers. Only a handful were left to finish the exam and the atmosphere became a lot tenser than before.  

It also didn’t help that a lot of the test takers parents’ and higher tribal members have come to witness this last bout. They lined along the staggered wall that fenced in both the back of the Academy and the village. The spectators who had children or favored tribal members that failed gave dirty looks to both Hitomi and the Headmaster. The latter was definitely not taking it well and his whole turban was damp from his sweat. 

“Alright,” the examiner said, “This next test is your last one. We will be pairing you off and whoever you are paired with will be your opponent. There are three ways to pass this test. If you can get your opponent to bleed in the first 3 seconds, you pass. If you get your opponent to admit defeat, you pass. If you incapacitate your opponent, you pass. Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu are all usable here. Anything goes.”

All the test takers nodded. This was the brutal but standard Suna test. All the shinobi hopefuls were warned about this fight since the very first day of school. With the “anything goes” clause combined with the incentive to inflict maximum damage in the first 3 seconds, many have left the test scarred regardless if they passed or failed. 

“I will now read off the pairings,” the examiner announced, “Saya against Akiko, Fumio against Sanij, Daichi against Masumi, and lastly Goji against-”   
  


“Me against you!” a boy crowed with delight in Hitomi’s direction. Tamotsu was holding her up against his chest like a doll, “This is going to be so easy. That Suna headband is as good as mine.” 

The boy had the purple markings of the Aizumi tribe, the ones who specialized in ninja tools and weapons. He had a long, hook nose and orange hair that spiked up away from his face. His yellow eyes were framed by the purple face paint and he pointed his smirk at a fellow tribe member.

“Sorry, Tamotsu-senpai,” he said, “I won’t go easy on your protege.”

Tamotsu laughed heartedly with no signs of offense. “After your match, it will be me who will be apologizing to you.”

Hitomi lowered her head and smiled politely. “I look forward to our fight, Goji-san.”

“Don’t think I’ll hold back just because you’re a girl. I’m going to-,” Goji started to threaten.

“Save your breath,” Tamotsu interrupted, keeping the grin on his face, and feeling the subtle sag against his arms, “She’s already asleep.”

“She’s what?!” Goji asked incredulously. 

Tamotsu didn’t bother answering as the first match was about to begin.

“Saya. Akiko. Please take your places,” the examiner said.

By the time Hitomi’s match came up, the sun was already starting to set. The clay and earth that made up the entire village was cloaked in a burnt orange color. 

“Oy, Hito,” Tamotsu whispered, “It’s your turn.”   


“Finally,” came Hitomi’s grumble and she rubbed her sleepy eyes. Tamotsu chuckled and lowered her to the ground.

“Once we’re done, Michiko and I will take you to get some dangos,” Tamotsu said.

“You better,” Hitomi replied. She lifted her foot to take a step out but then it got caught in the hem of her kimono. She fell face first on the sand.

_ Thump! _

“Hito!” Tamotsu gasped as the audience roared with laughter. He helped her up and hurriedly brushed her hair away from her face for signs of injuries. She pushed his hand away. She rested her forearms across her chest and tucked her hands underneath her sleeves. She walked steadily around Tamotsu and towards the examiner.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. She faced her opponent and bowed her head.

“3 seconds,” Goji boasted, “That’s all I’ll need.”

“Ready?” the examiner announced, “Set. Go!”

Without hesitation, Goji extended his arms, pulling out a string of kunais in each hand, and threw them all at Hitomi. It happened so fast that Hitomi didn’t even have a chance to react. 

_ Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! _

All fourteen kunais stuck out from the front of Hitomi in a straight line from the top of her head to down to the lower half of her torso.

“I win! I win! 3 seconds!” Goji crowed, “The best way to take you down is to use weapons directly! It’s your own bad luck that you got paired with a weapon specialist like me!”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Hitomi’s feet for the first drop of blood, “I knew it! You can’t see anything if it’s not coated in chakra. 

_ Crack. _

Goji’s eyes widened when a shard of glass fell down instead.  He looked back up at Hitomi, who was casually pulling the kunais out of the clear, glass molding she had created to shield her front and dropping them to the floor. With each kunai she pulled out, fragments of her glass casing broke off. 

“It seems you and I had come to the same conclusion. That you would attack me without your chakra,” she said calmly as Goji stared at her in shock, “You are pretty clever. I’ll give you that.”

“When did you-” Goji started to ask but then he suddenly understood what had happened when he saw Hitomi’s hands fall to her side with her kimono sleeves falling just short of her wrist. “You...You fell on purpose! You coated yourself with sand so you could create a glass casing for yourself. You hid your hands so I couldn’t see you form hand seals!”

Hitomi nodded in approval as the remainder of the glass shield fell onto the floor. “Very clever, indeed. Do you play Shogi, by any chance?”

Goji bared his teeth and he reached behind him once more. “Don’t take me lightly! There’s more where that came from!”

He threw his strings of kunai once more at Hitomi but this time she narrowly dodged them while running forward.

_ Smack! Thump! Whack! _

With three quick hits with her palms to his jaw, neck, and then chest, she sent him flying backwards. He landed flat on his back and coughed up blood. 

“Gack!” he gasped when Hitomi stood over him and pressed her foot against his throat.

“Concede,” she said.

He clenched his jaw and dug his fingers into the sand. Then his hands relaxed and flattened. If she was a normal opponent, he could’ve easily thrown the sand into her eyes and taken that moment to gain the upper hand but that wouldn’t have worked on her. It dawned unto him now that she had memorized the trajectory and pattern of his kunais from his first attack and that’s how she was able to avoid the second wave.  _ She had pre-planned this before the match even began... _ , he thought as he stared up at the blind girl,  _ If she really was asleep, that means she had already decided what to do in less than a minute... _

“Fine,” he choked, “I give up. I GIVE UP!”

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Hitomi felt her hand being lifted into the air. “You’re winner, ladies and gentlemen! HITOMI SABOTEN!!!” Tamotsu cheered to the incredulous audience. Even the examiner and the Headmaster were staring at the two with jaws dropped and eyes bulging.

Tamotsu swung Hitomi’s hand down in a fluid arc and he took a bow on her behalf, “Thank you! Thank you!” he said to a mute crowd. 

_ Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. _

Tamotsu shot a grin at the solo clapper, Michiko, who matched his grin as she looked down at him and Hitomi from her spot on the top tier of the wall. 

Hitomi pulled her hand away from Tamotsu’s grip and she walked calmly to the examiner with her hand out. “My headband and Genin certificate, please.” 

Tamotsu looked down at Goji and he helped him to his feet. “Sorry,” Tamotsu said, “Tough luck ya got paired with her.” 

* * *

“Ah, Hito!” Michiko wailed when she tugged at Hitomi’s kimono sleeve to reveal a small tear. She moved Hitomi’s opposite hand so she could feel the hole herself, “You ruined another dress. These don’t come cheap, you know?”

“I guess I didn’t dodge the kunais as much as I thought I would,” Hitomi said with a frown and then moved her hand to the plate of dangos in front of her, “Tamotsu, we’ll need to do more dodging exercises next time.”

“Ah,” Tamotsu said as he slurped from a cup of hot tea. The light from the dango shop caught the corner Hitomi’s new Suna head back while she ate her snack and the gleam matched the twinkle in Tamotsu’s eyes, “We will but who knows when that will be. We might get assigned our first mission soon.”

He slammed his cup down and then put an arm around Hitomi’s shoulder. He roughly pulled her to him and he rubbed a fist against her skull. “Soon we will have to gather up a team and go on our first mission! Aren’t you excited, Hito?!”

"Don't mess up her hair!" Michiko scolded. She sat across from them with her own plate of food and cup of tea. She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head. “Remind me...how does teams and missions work again?” 

“The Kazekage, or the Council in his absence, decides on which missions to take and which Chunin or Jonin will be the team leader. Then it’s usually up to the Chunin or Jonin to pick who is the best people for the mission,” Hitomi explained, “On special cases, the Council or Kazekage, will request specific shinobis to be part of that team but mostly it is up to the team leader’s judgement. Chunins can pick from the available Genins and Chunins only while Jonins can pick whoever they want. Usually each team leader has a group of shinobis they are already good at working with, which is what goes under consideration when the Kazekage assigns the missions.” 

“Are you saying there’s a chance that Hito will be assigned to a mission without you?!” Michiko gasped as she looked at Tamotsu.

Tamotsu laughed, “There’s a chance alright but-”

“No one will,” Hitomi finished and waved a hand in front of her own face for emphasis, “Who would want to babysit a blind shinobi? I’m still a liability in their eyes. Plus, all the team leaders already have their list of favorites. I’m not on any one of them.”

“Except mine!” Tamotsu grinned.

Hitomi nodded. Then she motioned for Tamotsu to come a bit closer. He leaned down and she whispered something into his ear. His eyes widened and then he looked anxiously down at Hitomi.

“Are you sure about this?!” he hissed.

She nodded and he gulped before motioning towards the waitress. “Excuse me, miss!” He ordered, “Can I have a pen?”

The waitress hurried over and gave him a pen from her apron. “Of course, sir,” she said with a smile and then looked over at Michiko, “Would you and your husband like anything else? Another round of dangos, maybe?”

“Yes,” Hitomi said.

“W-We’re not married! I’m not with that man!” Michiko sputtered at the same time.

The waitress turned red and quickly apologized for her mistake. “I’m so sorry!” she said, “I shouldn’t have assumed. I’ll go get you your dangos right now.” 

As she ran off Tamotsu finished writing something on a piece of napkin and he slid it casually over to Hitomi. She turned to the corner of the room and held up the napkin towards the ball of sand that had followed her throughout the exams and all the way to the dango shop.

The napkin read:  _ Have you seen enough, Gaara-san? _


	12. A Meeting of the Minds

 

Tamotsu, Michiko, and Hitomi watched in silence as the last piece of Gaara's Sand Eye broke off and disintegrated unto the floor.

"What do you think that was about?" Tamotsu asked as he slowly reached for his naginata. He felt a hand covering his and he looked down to see Hitomi calmly patting it.

"Let go of your weapon," she said softly, "Or else he'll think we're being hostile."

"What?"

The doorway to the dango shop flew open and a collective gasp went around the room as Gaara stepped through it. His arms were crossed around his chest and his eyes were looking sullenly in Tamotsu's direction.

"Let go, Tamotsu," Hitomi repeated again and he reluctantly obeyed. Then he gave a stern nod towards Michiko.

"You too, alley cat," he said and Michiko shot him a perturbed look.

"Michiko, please," Hitomi agreed and from under the table, Michiko slowly removed the neko-tes on her hands.

The tension in the air was thick as the patrons in the shop were all on high alert while the waitress, chef, and owner were all looking at each other, hoping one of them would be brave enough to tell the monster to leave.

"I think I ate too much," Hitomi said with a clear and firm voice, "I need some fresh air. Would you be so kind as to accompany me, Gaara-san?"

Everyone, including Hitomi's two confidants, looked at her in shock. Everyone, that is, except Gaara, whose gaze moved ever so gradually from Tamotsu to her. He did not say a word but gave a stiff nod.

Hitomi placed a hand on Tamotsu's leg, a silent request for him to stay put, before she stood up and tilted her head in Michiko's direction.

"15 degrees to your left then 7 yards forward. No obstruction except maybe a protruding chair to your right about 1 yard in front of you. The door is left open," Michiko said and flashed a worried look to Tamotsu, who shared the same expression.

"I'll be fine and I won't stray far," Hitomi replied and followed Michiko's directions straight to the door. There was no hesitation as she breezed past Gaara. Then she stopped when she was out on the street.

Gaara, who had been unmoving and staring straight ahead into the shop the entire time, dropped his arms to his side and turned towards the girl. He stepped out and his sand shut the door behind them with a harsh bang. He could hear the sounds of panicked conversation as soon as he was gone and his fingers twitched. Part of him was longing to kill them all and wipe those fearful looks on his face, but it was a part of him that was also currently annoying him tremendously.

 _Why the hell didn't you attack?,_ Shukaku shrieked so forcefully that it felt like his voice could physically bounce around in Gaara's skull, _Didn't you see all of them had reached for their weapons? Kill them before they try to kill you!_

 _Like they could,_ Gaara thought back and moved the sand beneath him and Hitomi's feet. He waited for her to react but she remained calm, as if expecting this to happen already. He lifted them up with his sand moved them to a secluded rooftop nearby.

Finally, he and Hitomi were face to face and alone. His arms were folded back across his chest while Hitomi kept her head slightly bowed. Her hands were in front of her, gently pressed against her thigh and at a slight angle so that her kimono sleeves fell around her wrist, purposefully exposing her hands to Gaara.

"Hitomi Saboten," Gaara said, "I remembered you this time."

"You did say you would, Gaara-san," Hitomi replied, "You also said that you were going to kill me. Is that what you came here to do?"

"No. I have a question for you, Hitomi Saboten."

"Then I will answer to the best of my ability, Gaara-san," Hitomi said.

There was a momentary pause as Gaara studied the girl, as if seeing her physically in front of him would help answer his question. Finally, he spoke. "Why do you exist, Hitomi Saboten?"

His question was followed by another pause as Hitomi contemplated his inquiry. A small frown tugged on the corner of her lips while she thought about it. She tilted her head to one side. After a moment, she tilted it to the other side. An apologetic look came over her face. "I'm sorry, Gaara-san. I don't believe I can answer that."

Gaara's fingers twitched again and his sand started instinctively moving closer to Hitomi. "You said you would answer to the best of your ability," Gaara said darkly.

"I did," Hitomi admitted, "But that is not a question I can answer."

"Why not?"

"Because I do not think of my existence that way," she said, "And I believe it is not a good mindset to have."

There was silence again and Hitomi let out a small smile, sensing Gaara's confusion. Hitomi lifted her head a bit higher. "Have you ever played Shogi, Gaara-san?"

"Yes," Gaara replied, slightly taken aback by the obscure question, "Only a few times. Why?"

"In a game of Shogi, every piece has a purpose and predetermined rules of movement before the game even starts," Hitomi said, "Now if you applied that concept to me, given my parentage that would mean that I was born to be the leader of the Hatsu tribe and to represent the bloodline of the First. I would be in a position that is close to the Kazekage, which would make me at least a silver or gold general...But then my lack of sight was also caused naturally. Given the rules and regulations of Suna, I would be at most an asset through marriage, a throwaway piece so wouldn't that make me a pawn?"

Slowly, Hitomi moved her hand to touch the symbol of Suna engraved on her newly earned forehead protector. "If I thought there was a reason to my existence, then that would mean I've accepted a predetermined fate. It would set a limit to the possibilities of my life and I refuse to accept that. I would like to believe that I am in charge of my own destiny and that with hard work, I can achieve anything I set my heart to."

"And what is it that you'd like to achieve?" Gaara asked.

To Gaara's surprise, Hitomi stuck out her hand to where Gaara's sand was moving. She showed no fear and with no malicious intent, his sand spiraled around her wrist and fingers.

"A long time ago, someone once told me the Will of Wind is the will to always find a way," she said, "That is the very foundation that Suna is built on yet I believe too many people have forgotten that. I want to bring that will back once more and restore the village."

She dropped her hand and smiled again at Gaara. "I apologize if I spoke too much, Gaara-san...But I believe I've answered your question to the best of my ability."

"Ah, you have," Gaara said.

"If you don't mind, I have a question for you."

Gaara remained silent and Hitomi took his lack of response as his permission.

She folded her hands in front of her and bowed her head. "What is it that _you'd_ like to achieve, Gaara-san?"

* * *

A week had gone by since the exam and Gaara's ominous visit. Hitomi had returned back to the dango shop unscathed and in the same condition as where she left, albeit a little sandy. She refused to answer any of Michiko or Tamotsu's inquiries and only responded with a perplexing answer.

"I am not at liberty to say."

Under normal circumstances, Tamotsu would be on high alert and take caution but then they had returned home to find all of her and Michiko's belongings packed and resting outside the front door. The incident with Gaara fell quickly to the back of his mind.

Tamotsu had banged on the door, demanding an explanation from Katsuo but only got a tearful Kinu instead. She explained that Hitomi's father had stated that Hitomi was now a full-fledged shinobi, she would be able to take care of herself.

They had moved all of their things into Tamotsu's apartment, which he had kept but had not stayed in for years. It took longer to clean and dust the studio apartment than it did to unpack. With insistence by Michiko and Tamotsu, Hitomi got the bed every night while Michiko claimed the couch and Tamotsu slept on the floor by Hitomi's side.

"We'll need to be more careful about your clothing now, Hito," Michiko said as she tied the obi around the girl's waist and got her ready for the day, "I can patch them up as best as I can but that will only go so far. Needlework isn't my strong suit, you know."

"Yes, Michiko," Hitomi replied obediently.

Michiko took a step back and looked the girl up and down. "Okay, it all looks good to me. I think we're ready."

"But Michiko…" Hitomi said softly and then pointed at her bare forehead.

"Oh yeah!" Michiko exclaimed and quickly grabbed Hitomi's headband off of the coffee table, "Gosh. I'm so used to dressing you the same every day that I completely forgot about this new accessory."

"That's not an accessory," Tamotsu scolded as he got out of the bathroom while rubbing a towel over his head with another towel wrapped around his waist, "It's a badge of honor."

"Eek! What are you doing, you dumb tomato?!" Michiko shrieked. She covered her eyes with one hand and pulling HItomi behind her with the other, "Prancing around like that in front of Hito. Do you have any decency?!"

"There's no room to change in there," Tamotsu grinned as he sauntered over to the dresser, "And unless ya performed some sort of medical miracle while I was in the shower, Hito can't see me!"

"It's the principle of things," Michiko huffed.

"A street rat with principles?" Tamotsu whistled as he pulled out his underwear and clothes from the drawer, "That's a new one."

"Hurry up and get dressed!" Michiko hissed. Tamotsu shot her a boyish wink before strutting back into the bathroom.

Hitomi nodded, "Yes. I don't want to be late for my first tribal assembly."

Michiko knelt down so she could see Hitomi's face at eye level. "Are you nervous, Hito? You can tell me if you are. It's okay to be. After all, you'll be going in there to face your father."

Hitomi shook her head. "I'll be okay. Besides, I doubt I'm on the agenda. The last thing Father will need is more attention on me...Window."

Michiko looked curiously at Hitomi. "Window?"

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

Michiko gasped as turned towards the window in the back of the room. A shinobi stood squatting on the windowsill on the other side. He had a turban and sand mask covering his face. In a blink of an eye, a shirtless Tamotsu was at the window. He opened it and gave a casual two finger salute to the man.

"Yo," Tamotsu said with a grin, "Orders from above?"

"Yes," the shinobi replied, "The Council would like to see you for a mission briefing."

"Alright. Tell those old farts that I'll be there in a bit."

_Poof!_

And with a puff of smoke, the shinobi was gone. Tamotsu walked back towards Hitomi and Michiko. "Looks like Michiko's going to be the one taking ya to the assembly, Hito."

"What do you think the mission is?" Hitomi asked.

Tamotsu scratched the back of his head. "Who knows? But since ya did just pass the Genin exams, I would say it's a solid D rank mission so most likely helping out at the Suna Greenhouse or Aviary."

Michiko wrinkled her nose, "I hope you don't have to clean up the bird poop."

Hitomi grimaced. "If that is the case, don't choose me for the team."

"What?! You're going to leave me to do the dirty work by myself?!" Tamotsu shouted and then pinched Hitomi's cheeks, "Don't forget, I'm the jonin here. You're just a small, measly genin! Know your place, Hito."

_Whack!_

A harsh chop on the back of the head from Michiko made Tamotsu flinch and let go of Hitomi's face. "A girl's face is delicate," Michiko lectured, "And don't forget who you're contractually bound to. Know _your_ place, you dumb tomato."

Suddenly, Hitomi's hands was closed around Michiko's and the blonde looked at the girl in surprise. "Michiko," Hitomi said softly, "You don't have to stay here with me and Tamotsu, if you don't want to. The terms of our arrangement has changed since we first met. You agreed to take care of me in a big spacious house and well...that's no longer the case. I'm no longer a lady of the house. If you want to go elsewhere and find another lady to attend to, you can."

Michiko blinked back at Hitomi and a wide grin came across her face. "You mean I'm free to go?! Really?"

Tamotsu's jaw dropped. "Oy, ya disloyal little-"

Michiko clapped her hands in delight, cutting off the man's words, and she cheered. "You mean I can leave this place and go off into the world?"

Then she dropped her hands and her expression softened. "The world that wanted nothing to do with me? The world filled with greedy bastards and cruel people, who would leave me out to die just for a little bit of power and money?"

She bent down to be eye level to Hitomi and gave her a kiss on the forehead before tying her protector around it. "You saved my life so I owe you mine. I'll stay with you even if it means being in a cramped room with dirty, red tomato."

Tamotsu crossed his arms and let out a defeated smile at the back of Michiko's head. Then to his surprise, Hitomi did a rare thing. She wrapped her arms around Michiko's neck and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Michiko," she said softly.

"No, Hito," Michiko murmured back as smoothed out the back of Hitomi's hair, "Thank you."

Then she pushed the girl back at arm's length to do one final look over. "Alright," Michiko said with a satisfied nod, "You're all ready to go and as your personal attendant _for life_ , I will do the honors of escorting you to the tribal assembly. Does that sound good to you?"

Hitomi nodded and let out a relieved smile. "That sounds perfect."

* * *

 The Hatsu Tribe met on the third week of every month in a building near the Suna Greenhouse. The building was one of the first built in Suna and was the house of the First. It was rumored that he had built the Greenhouse himself and wanted to have a good view of it from his living quarters. It was said that he lived a modest life, even after becoming Kazekage, and his house, while spacious, was very basic.

Of course Michiko saw none of that as she was barred from stepping foot inside the building.

"What are you talking about? I'm here as her attendant!" Michiko demanded at the two guards that stood in her and Hitomi's way, "What do you mean you can't let us in."

"You," the guard corrected, "I cannot allow you in. You are neither a member of this tribe or even a recognized shinobi. I'm sorry but I can only allow Hitomi-san-"

"Sama," came a curt voice from behind them, "It is Hitomi-sama now."

They all turned to see the source. The guards and Michiko's eyes widened as Temari came walking towards them but it wasn't her that gained their attention but Gaara, who was walking next to her.

"T-T-Temari-san," the guards gasped and shot another nervous glance at Gaara, "And...and..G-G-G-"

"Gaara-san," Hitomi said with a slight bow and an extremely calm demeanor, "Temari-san."

Michiko and Temari reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"Hito!" Michiko gasped.

"So you're the reason why Gaara has decided to join me in today's meeting?" Temari asked at the same time. She eyed Hitomi skeptically, "Now it all makes sense. Where he ran off to after he shook off Baki and why his sudden interest in these things..."

Hitomi nodded and then looked over at Gaara. "Does this mean you have been to the other meetings as well?"

"Ah," Gaara said.

 _Hito!,_ Michiko thought in surprise, _What in the world did you talk to him about?_

* * *

  _Flashback to the Night on the Roof_

"Bonds."

Hitomi tilted her head in confusion. She had waited for a very long time for Gaara to answer her question to the point that his sudden answer had caught her off guard. It was clear by the extended silence that he had never considered what it was that he actually wanted. "I'm sorry? I didn't catch that."

"I want to have some bonds," Gaara said in the same, solemn voice, "I met someone in Konoha, who showed me how my life could be different if I had created bonds with people."

"Ah," Hitomi said, not wanting to pry too much as this was the longest sentence he had said to her thus far.

"But I don't know how."

"Would you mind if I made a suggestion?"

The sand around her began to churn again and Gaara looked at her with slight wariness. "Why do you want to help me? Aren't you scared of me?"

"I'm terrified," Hitomi admitted, "But that does not mean that I don't want to help you."

"Why?"

"Because it is the first time in awhile that someone valued my opinion without me having to prove anything to them," Hitomi said and a warm, genuine smile grew on her face, "So...for that you have my thanks."

Gaara was taken aback by her expression and the sincerity in her voice. Up until that point, they both had their guards up and there was a level of politeness from her that he did not quite trust. His sand settled down back onto the floor and he decided to take a chance on her. After all, he was the one that sought her out. "Very well...What is your suggestion?"

"I think, to help you forge some bonds, you should take a look at the tribes of Suna and go to their meetings," Hitomi said, "Understanding how the village works will help you develop bonds with the people living in it."

"Tribes?" Gaara asked and Hitomi was not very surprised that it was the first time he heard of it. After all, she highly doubted any tribe would want him to join.

"When a shinobi becomes a genin, he has the right to attend a general meeting from almost every tribe and then decide to join one of them, if he so chooses," Hitomi explained, "Each tribe has a different specialties like medical ninjutsu, weapons, and defensive ninjutsu. I'm not saying you need to choose a tribe, but at least you'll be able to see the problems and issues they deal with."

"You said 'almost every tribe'," Gaara said, "Is there a tribe that I won't be able to see?"

"No, I meant that in the general sense," Hitomi replied, "You, Gaara-san, will be able to see every one of them. The Hatsu tribe is the only tribe that only allows new members if they were directly related to a pre-existing member, which means either through marriage or by blood. The other tribes can accept new members on a voluntary basis. Temari-san is part of the Hatsu tribe so she will be able to bring you to the meetings."

"Temari is part of the Hatsu tribe," Gaara repeated, "What about Kankuro? Is he part of it too?"

Hitomi shook his head. "Your brother is in the Aizumi Tribe since they specialize in weaponry and ninja tools. It was originally started by the Shirigane clan, who were the masters of puppetry ninjutsu."

"You said only family members can join the Hatsu tribe," Gaara said as he began to make the different connections, "Who was part of the tribe before Temari?"

Hitomi paused as she contemplated whether or not she should tell him the truth. "Your father," she said, choosing honesty over safety.

The sand started to move once more. This time more rapidly than before.

"But," Hitomi added quickly, "He had to give up his affiliation to the tribe when he became Kazekage."

"What tribe are you a part of?" Gaara asked as the sand started to wrap around her feet.

"The Hatsu tribe," Hitomi said and the sand began to climb up her body.

"Is the Hatsu tribe responsible for my assassinations?" Gaara demanded. His voice had turned cold and unnervingly aggressive.

"No," Hitomi choked out as the sand wrapped started to cover her neck and head, "You were born long after your father had left the tribe. Even Temari-san couldn't have been more than 4 years old. If anything it was a decision made by Kazekage-sama and the Council. And even _if_ the Hatsu tribe had something to do with it, it was something I had no part in deciding."

"Why should I believe you?" Gaara asked as he raised his arm out with his palm out, ready to crush his prey. He could feel his blood boil and his heart pumping wildly. _Mother...Mother wants blood._

 _Kyahahaha!,_ Shukaku laughed, _Yes. Kill her! She's as oil tongued as the First. Don't trust a word she says._

"I swear, Gaara-san," Hitomi gasped weakly, "Everything I told you was true. I haven't lied to you once."

"Why should I show you mercy?" Gaara growled.

"No...I'm not asking for mercy," Hitomi replied faintly, "I'm asking for reason and logic. I haven't lied to you and I know you know that too. If you've had any suspicions about me, you would've killed me a long time ago."

Hitomi felt Gaara's sand pause for just a split second but it was enough for her to know that some part of him was willing to listen to her.

"Gaara-san," she pleaded just as the sand began to cover her face, "Do you actually think I'm lying to you? Or are you just killing me out of impulse alone?"

The sand completely enveloped her. She forcefully moved her hands up towards her chest and began to weave her hand signs. _Glass Release-_

_Whoosh!_

The sand fell away instantly and she crumpled to the floor. She coughed out the sand and her hand went up to her throat. _He let me go!_ , she thought in surprise while gasping for air.

She looked over in his direction just as she felt herself be lifted from the roof. "Gaara-san?!" she breathed as he moved her back down to the street level with his sand.

"Go," he said, unable to look at her while clutching his head with his free hand, "Before I change my mind."

* * *

 "You can wait out here," Temari said to Michiko, taking charge despite being several years younger than the fellow blonde, "I can take Hitomi-sama inside."

"Like hell I'd leave her in your hands," Michiko snapped back but then Hitomi shot her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Michiko," she said, "I thought maybe the guards would show some leniency but I guess it was a longer shot than I expected. I'll be fine in there with Gaara-san and Temari-san."

"Are you sure?" Michiko asked worriedly, "The last time you were with him you came back covered in sand."

It was a tribute to Temari's calm demeanor that she did not let the worry and fear show on her face but Hitomi saw it in the sudden flare in her chakra. "Nothing to worry over," she said and then turned towards Gaara, "It'll be fine. Right, Gaara-san?"

"Yes," Gaara said stonily and then eyed the two guards, "Let us in."

The guards looked at each other anxiously and then reluctantly moved away from the entrance.

Temari felt Hitomi slip a hand into the crook of her arm and she looked incredulously at the girl. "What are you-"

"Thank you for your guidance," Hitomi said and Temari suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She did not know what the deal is with this girl but she was determined to get to the bottom of it.


	13. Assembly & Assembling

The room that held the monthly meetings of the Hatsu tribe was a simple one. There were square mats lining the tiled floor, making up 5 rows of twelve. There were already people kneeling in the first two rows with some scattered in the other rows. They were all talking to each other in a hushed whisper.

At the front of the room were two hanging scrolls with the words "wisdom" and "knowledge" written in beautiful calligraphy. Centered in front of the scrolls were three mats with three men kneeling on top of them, facing the rest of the room. The man in the center was Hitomi's father, the leader. He was flanked by his co-chiefs. The one on his right was named Yamanaka and was an old, balding man with a long grey beard. The one on Katsuo's left was a youthful man named Wairi, who had straggly black hair that fell over his right eye.

Gaara noticed that unlike the tribal meetings, there was less shock and reactions when he entered the room. In fact, at most he received were terse nods of acknowledgements or a fearful look here and there. _They are as calm and collected as Temari…_

Temari felt Hitomi's hand slip out from the crook of her arm and the girl clasped her hands in front of her. "Where is the nearest empty seat, Temari-san?" she asked in barely a whisper.

Temari's eyes narrowed as she noticed that several members of the group were looking unkindly at them. "Shouldn't you sit at the front, Hitomi-sama?" Temari asked.

Hitomi shook her head. "I do not wish to cause a scene. There's someone already sitting in that seat."

Temari glanced over at the middle seat in the front row, directly facing the leader of the tribe. That seat was traditionally reserved for the direct descendant of the First and unofficially, it was recognized as the seat for the next leader of the tribe.

The seat was presently being occupied by a jonin named Hisoka. He wore a suna turban around his brown hair. His bangs poked out from underneath his Suna headband. He was a muscular man in his late twenties. He had narrow eyes and a smile fixed on his lips. Temari knew him well. He would not be pleased to be asked to move from a spot he called his for the past three years.

Personally, Temari had no interest in who sat in that seat. She had joined the tribe solely to help her father and the village with their relations to the outside world. It did not matter to her who the leader and future leaders of the tribe was. All she cared about was her own duty as a shinobi to carry out whatever is needed.

"There's a seat 2 meters in front of you and three meters to your left," Temari instructed Hitomi and the girl bowed her head.

"Thank you," Hitomi said.

"Do you want me to-" Temari started to ask.

"I need to do this...on my own," Hitomi replied. She took in a deep breath and she walked by herself, slowly and tentatively, to the empty mat. It only took her three steps before she the top of her feet snag onto the corner of a mat. She stumbled and fell to her knees.

_Bam!_

It was a tribute to the calm demeanor of this tribe to how no one said a word. However, the look on their faces was very different. People smirked and some even looked away to stifle a laugh on their lips. The look felt familiar yet vastly different to Gaara. He could recognize the look of scorn and contempt but underlying all of it was something completely new to him. There was no fear in their eyes when they looked at her. Not even an ounce of recognition that this girl had any sort of power.

Hitomi's heart pounded wildly in her chest as she willed herself not to blush or even clench her fists. The only small signs that showed of her humiliation was the brief moment of hesitation before she got up to her feet and took another step out. The step was a lot smaller than the step she took before. _Calm down, Hito,_ she thought to herself as she drew in a breath, _You can do this. Just 2 more meters forward and then 3 to your left._

Temari rolled her eyes and brusquely marched forward. She grabbed HItomi by the arm, ignoring the small gasp that came from the girl, and took her towards the front of the room.

"Tch. I told you, her passing the exam was a fluke. She can't even walk two steps without help," Hitomi heard from someone as they passed by.

The only thing Hitomi could do to express her frustration was to curl her toes hidden under her kimono. The genin exam was something her and Tamotsu had planned and practiced for years. She had put all her thoughts in getting through the exam that she had not planned much beyond it. After all, it was a long shot for her to even get to take the exam in the first place. Hitomi had been so used to everything going her way with Tamotsu and Michiko at her side that it suddenly hit her just how alone she was at that very moment.

 _Stay calm, Hito,_ she repeated to herself as Temari stopped her right in front of Hisoka, _Stay calm._

"How can I help you?" Hisoka asked politely from his kneeling position.

"Move," Temari said bluntly, "This seat is reserved for the one next in line to lead the Hatsu tribe."

"Then I am exactly where I need to be. As agreed by Katsuo-sama and the two co-chiefs," the jonin replied smoothly.

"That may be, but that is still Hitomi- _sama_ 's seat," Temari said without batting an eye, "Or have you forgotten that immediate family members of the First would always take precedent."

There was a tense silence from the air around them but neither Temari, Hitomi, or Hisoka moved a single facial muscle. Finally, Hisoka got up to his feet. He bowed his head by Temari's ear. "This is not over," he mumbled.

"I don't care," Temari said, not even bothering to lower her voice, as she helped Hitomi to the mat.

The corner of Hitomi's lips slightly turned downwards. "You shouldn't have done that, Temari-san," she said softly, "I-"

"Like I said," Temari said curtly, "I do not care. I just want to get this meeting started already."

Hitomi tilted her head. "Have I done something to anger you, Temari-san?"

"Not yet," Temari replied and walked away to rejoin Gaara. She knelt down on her mat just as a gong started to indicate the start of the meeting.

A hush fell over the already pretty quiet room.

"Before we begin," Katsuo said, "I would like to acknowledge those who have come with their family members to observe our tribe. I hope you have the resolve and sound mind to do what is asked of you from us and, more importantly, that you will bring honor to the tribe."

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest. From the other tribal meetings he'd been to, the leaders voiced it like being part of them was optional. Why did this leader act as if the decision to join was already made?

"Now, onward to the tasks at hand," Katsuo continued and Yamanaka handed him a scroll. He opened it and scanned the first few lines, "There's a village by the western oasis that will need assistance."

"Whenever there are any missions that involve some diplomacy or knowledge of another village's culture," Temari explained to Gaara without moving her lips, "The Council will usually rely on the leader of the Hatsu Tribe to suggest the best person for the job. During these meetings, he'll tell us which villages are involved and we will need to tell him if there's anyone there who we are familiar with."

A hand shot up from the third row. "Ano, Katsuo-sama," a young kunoichi said, "I've been on a couple of missions from that village already. I know the people and their customs."

Another hand shot up. "Katsuo-sama," a male shinobi countered, "I've been on more missions there than she has. Please send me."

Katsuo smiled faintly and nodded without looking up from the scroll. "It's good that we have so many eager volunteers. Tell me, when was the last time either of you was in the village?"

"3 weeks ago," the kunoichi said.

"One year ago," the male shinobi grunted.

"Very well," Katsuo said and nodded to the kunoichi, "Then I think it best that I recommend Eriko for this as she would be a more recent face for the village."

"Tch," the male shinobi said and Katsuo flashed his eyes at him.

"It is not good to show annoyance so publically, Rinji," Katsuo cautioned, "Please represent yourself better."

"Yes, Katsuo-sama," the shinobi said, bowing his head apologetically.

The meeting continued on for another hour or so with Katsuo running down the list of potential missions. Given that he left out most of the details except for which villages were involved, it was hard to gauge what the nature of each mission was about. However, Gaara did notice that all the villages involved were all in the Land of Wind.

"Temari," Gaara asked, "Do you guys ever take missions outside of the Land of Wind?"

"Yes but it's been very rare these days," Temari said, "And those are not discussed so openly during a tribal meeting. Those will only be discussed by the chief and co-chiefs, as international relations are a bit trickier, and only a handful of members have ties or knowledge to anywhere outside of this country."

Finally, Katsuo finished the last scroll and he handed it back to Yamanaka.

"Well, then, I open this meeting to the floor," he said with a slight bow of his head.

Gaara was familiar with this portion as each tribal meeting ended this way. It was a chance for the shinobis in the village to voice their concerns and questions to their leaders. In a way, it was their way of speaking to the Council.

A hand shot up from fourth row. "Katsuo-sama, what are we doing in regards to Otogakure? Are we about to fight them or will the Hatsu Tribe be responsible for the peacemaking between us?" a shinobi asked and the entire tribe visibly stiffened.

"Otogakure is no longer an issue," Katsuo-sama replied smoothly, "The Council had already sent a team of special forces to scout the situation. When they got there they found the village had burned to the ground with no living being in sight."

Even Temari couldn't hide her surprise "What?" she gasped, "It's just...gone?!"

"It seems Orochimaru has abandoned his post as the Kage of Otogakure, now that he has no need of them," Katsuo-sama stated, "But we needn't be fearful of him. After all, his target will and always will be on Konoha and not us."

"Then why kill the Kazekage?" Temari demanded, "If he is not a threat to us, then why do it?"

Katsuo blinked back at Temari. "To instill war, of course. He just wanted to cause turmoil within our walls so that we would lash out at Konoha. I'm sure he meant to make Kazekage-sama's death look to be the handiwork of Konoha."

"I highly doubt that," Hitomi said, creating a stir around the room.

Katsuo looked at his daughter. "Oh?"

"When I found Kazekage-sama," Hitomi said, "He was near the border of Otogakure. It wasn't anywhere near the Land of Rivers or Konoha. I believe Orochimaru wanted us to find him and know that it was he who did it."

"Why would he do that?" Katsuo asked.

"To gloat," Hitomi replied, "To show us how easily we played into his hands and how foolish we were."

To his credit, Katsuo remained calm. Unfortunately, a shinobi in the first row reacted as though Hitomi had slapped him in the face. "What are you trying to say?" he demanded, "That we should've seen this coming? That the Hatsu Tribe is to blame for the outcome of the attack because we weren't able to detect Orochimaru's plan when we helped broker the deal?"

"Not at all," Hitomi replied, "I was just inferring that I believe Orochimaru is a very prideful man. That is all."

"Maybe we should move on to the next question," Wairi suggested calmly and Katsuo nodded.

"Yes," Katsuo said, "Anything else?"

"Why did we attack Konoha?"

Everyone's eyes slightly widened at both the question and the source. Temari gaped at her brother, who had his hand up, mimicking the gesture of the other tribe members.

"Why did we attack Konoha?" Gaara asked again.

"That is an excellent question," Katsuo said, calmly addressing Gaara like a normal member, "After all, on one hand, it makes no sense that Suna would go against it's one and only ally. On the other hand, it makes perfect sense to destroy an ally in hopes of gaining two or three more. Suna has been suffering from both an economic and military standpoint. We are severely lacking both money and power compared to the rest of the Five Great Nations. With the help of Otogakure, we were hoping that by crushing Konoha, we would be able to show how strong we were and maybe gain an ally or two from villages that were against Konoha."

"But was our relations with Konoha bad?" Gaara asked, "Were they not treating us well as allies?"

"They weren't treating us poorly," Katsuo said slowly, choosing his words with caution, "But I wouldn't go as far as to say that they were treating us well. With the fact that the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind share a border, there are some pieces of land that the Land of Fire had taken that once belonged to us."

"Have we taken any land from them?" Gaara asked.

"Yes, " Katsuo said, "We have."

"Then wouldn't that mean we were even?" Gaara asked.

"Like Orochimaru's betraying act towards us, our betrayal to Konoha was a matter of pride," Hitomi said before her father could say anything, "We did it because we wanted to be at the top of the Five Great Nations again, didn't we, Father?"

Katsuo's eyes narrowed at his daughter. "No, we did it so that we could help this village," he said curtly and then turned to the rest of the room, "I'm closing the floor. This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

"So? So? So? How did it go?" Michiko asked once Temari had brought Hitomi back to the entrance way. Hitomi remained quiet but as soon as Michiko reached out her hand, she grabbed it and held it more tightly than ever. Michiko looked at her in surprise as Hitomi came to her side. "Hito?"

"Looks like I'm just in time!" Tamotsu grinned as he appeared on a rooftop nearby. He leapt down to the street and sauntered over to Michiko and Hitomi. He straightened up a little when he spotted Temari and Gaara.

"We'll be taking our leave then," Temari said to Hitomi, "Have a good night, Hitomi-sama."

Hitomi smiled politely and bowed to Temari and Gaara. "Thank you for your help, Temari-san. Not just for escorting me but also claiming my seat for me."

"I only did it to move along the meeting and I didn't do anything that wasn't appropriate," Temari said stiffly, "I was just following the rules."

"I know but I still appreciate it," Hitomi said, "Good-bye, Temari-san. Good-bye, Gaara-san."

Temari turned to leave but then realized Gaara did not do the same. "Oy, Gaara?"

"What should I do next?" he asked, "Now that I am done with the tribal meetings."

His question took everyone by surprise, even Hitomi, who took a while to answer. She tilted her head to the side, deep in thought, before asking, "Have you found one that you would like to join?"

"Not particularly."

"But did you learn something about the people here?"

"Yes but it is all very general."

"Then…," Hitomi said extremely cautiously, "I suggest...you request the Council for you to join the regular forces."

Her suggestion caused Temari and Tamotsu to shout at her simultaneously.

"What are ya saying, Hito?!" Tamotsu demanded.

"Gaara isn't ready for something like that," Temari exclaimed.

"Regular forces?" Gaara asked, ignoring the two.

Hitomi nodded, "Right now, you, Kankuro-san, and Temari-san are considered 'Special Forces' and do specialized missions as an established team. If you join the regular forces, than your team members will change depending on what the mission is. You'll get to meet more people and do more regular things."

"I see," Gaara said.

"Listen," Temari interjected and stood in front of Hitomi, "I do not think Gaara should be taking advice from you. You're just a genin, who just recently got her shinobi status. Don't get all cocky just because you have blood of the First. Why should he even listen to you?!"

" _It is the first time in awhile that someone valued my opinion without me having to prove anything to them."_

Hitomi's words emerged in Gaara's head. He reached out and put his hand on Temari's shoulder, which startled her. She looked back at him. "Let's go, Temari," Gaara said, "Enough."

Hitomi bowed her head, keeping a polite smile on her face. "I did not mean to cause trouble."

"You didn't," Gaara said as he let go of Temari and walked off, "You were just giving me your opinion."

"Gaara…," Temari whispered before rushing off to catch up with her enigmatic brother.

"Goodbye, Temari-san. Goodbye, Gaara-san," Hitomi repeated again.

"Gaara," Temari said as soon as they were out of earshot, "You shouldn't listen too much to that girl."

"Why?" Gaara asked.

"Because...her father is a very calculating person. He's very tricky and I'm afraid she is the same," Temari said.

"Are you saying a child will always act in the same way as their parents?" Gaara asked coldly and Temari realized her mistake.

"N-N-No. Of course not!" Temari hurriedly corrected, "I'm just saying be careful around her. You just never know what she's thinking."

"Ah," Gaara said and both of them said nothing else on their long walk home.

* * *

"So what mission did you get?" Hitomi asked stifling a small yawn.

"Oh no ya don't," Tamotsu said and grabbed her around the waist. He lifted her so they were eye level, "You're not changing the subject. Do ya really think the Council is just gonna let Gaara join the regular forces?"

Hitomi shrugged. "It's not like they know what to do with him."

"And why is he coming to you for advice, Hito?"

There was silence and then Hitomi's chin dropped.

"Ah," Michiko said, ignoring the exasperated look on Tamotsu's face, "She's asleep."

Then Tamotsu did something that Michiko had never seen him do before. He raised Hitomi up high over his head and then flung her to the ground. "Wake up, Hito!" he scolded.

_Wham!_

Hitomi hit the ground hard and her eyes instinctively flew open, while Michiko lunged at Tamotsu with her claws out.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Michiko cried but then found her hands being easily deflected and then her whole body being pushed to the side by Tamotsu, who kept his eyes on the girl on the ground.

"I'm assigning you a mission that I'm leading, Hito," he asked, "From now until the end of the mission, you will sleep when I tell you it's okay to sleep. Got it?"

Hitomi shut her eyes and she took in a deep breath before getting up to her feet. "Yes, sir," she said. Tamotsu only took that tone with her when they were training. It was a side of him only she was familiar with. As harsh and demanding as he was while in his "drill sergeant mode", deep down Hitomi found it very comforting as he had adopted this training method from Hitomi's mother.

"Oy, ya damn stray, you can go home without us," Tamotsu stated, "Don't expect us to come back for the next couple of days."

"Wait! Since when do I take orders from you?" Michiko huffed as she took a step towards Hitomi but then was surprised when the girl held out a hand to stop her.

"Do as he says, Michiko," Hitomi said with a small smile, "I'll be okay."

Michiko narrowed her eyes at the jonin. "I don't know what has gotten into you but you better take good care of Hitomi while I'm gone," she said and then she mouthed to him, "Something has gotten Hitomi shaken but I don't know what."

Tamotsu said nothing but he nodded to Michiko to indicate that he understood and the blonde hesitantly left.

"Now then, I'll brief you two on the mission," Tamotsu said and then he looked past Hitomi. He raised his hand and crooked his finger, "You can come out now."

The scent of citrusy perfume hit Hitomi before she saw in the corner of her mind a water and wind user. From the form of his chakra, the person had enough control for a chunin and Hitomi tilted her head in thought but kept quiet.

"I was wondering how long you'd keep a lady waiting, Tamotsu Sensei," sang out a smooth and slightly low feminine voice, "Now who is this little chibi that I'll be working with?"

Hitomi felt a hand on her shoulder and she smiled politely. "My name is Hitomi Saboten. I look forward to working with you."

"AH! What a polite little chibi! Come give your new big sister a hug!" Hitomi's new team member cried and hugged Hitomi tightly.

Hitomi felt soft silk against her cheek while more citrusy perfume wafted up her nose. What caught Hitomi off guard, though, was that her cheek was pressed up against a chest. A very flat but muscular chest. _She's a...he?!_

_Thwack! Thwack!_

Tamotsu withdrew his two fists and his eyes narrowed at his two responsibilities while they rubbed the rising lump on their skulls. Then he focused his attention on the new recruit.

He was a sixteen year old boy with short but soft white hair that was parted to the side. He had a bright red fabric flower tucked behind his right ear. The color of the lipstain he wore matched the flower and the light violet eyeshadow he wore above his dark grey eyes provided a nice contrast. All of his features were soft and delicate except for his sharp cheekbones and angled eyes, which reminded Tamotsu of a wary alleycat.

He wore a silk yukata that was white with pink flowers painted on it. It was tied a bit too loosely, exposing his smooth, pale chest. On his back, he carried a folded parasol. The color of the paper was the same as his yukata but even in its folded state, Tamotsu could see that the pink flowers were hand painted by someone with the artistic ability of a child.

"Be more serious," Tamotsu scolded, "And introduce yourself properly to the team!"

"Waaah!" the new team member cried and Hitomi felt a tug on her sleeve, "Chibi-chan, Tamotsu Sensei is so mean!"

"You'll get used to it," Hitomi replied calmly, "May I please know your name?"

The new team member smiled and despite presenting himself to a blind person, he spread his arms out and did a twirl, grabbing his parasol and unfolding it mid spin. He posed with it leaning against his shoulder while he bent one knee and winked at his new team member. "My name is Akira but you can call me Akira Nee-San! I am the most beautiful genin in Suna."

A sweat dropped down both Hitomi and Tamotsu's head but Akira continued without batting an eye. "I am 16 years old, single, and my hobbies are needlepoint, flower arranging, tea parties, and the human body!"

Hitomi tilted her head at the last part. "The human...body?"

Akira lowered his parasol and pinched Hitomi's cheek. "Yes. I find the human body just fascinating," he sang and then lifted Hitomi's arms up to see her body, "They come in so many different shapes and size."

Then he waved his hand just inches away from Hitomi's eyes. "And they can do so many different things."

"Akira Nee-San?" Hitomi asked thoughtfully, "Are you, by any chance, a medical-nin?"

Akira let out a little gasp and his hands flew to the side of his cheeks. "Chibi-chan!" he gasped as he blushed, "I am studying to be one, as a matter of fact. How did you know?"

"Your chakra control," Hitomi stated, "It's very good for someone who is supposed to be still a genin."

"Chibi-chan is so smart! Oh, I like you. I really do," Akira squealed as he hugged Hitomi again but this time pressing his own cheek against hers. He nuzzled against her face like a cat, "Yes, I've been working very hard to become the best and most beautiful medical-nin in the world and I just haven't found the time to take the Chunin Exams."

Suddenly, they found themselves being pulled apart by Tamotsu, who squeezed both their shoulders hard. "That," he growled while glaring at Akira, "And the fact you didn't have a team to take it with."

"Wahhh! Tamotsu Sensei is violent," Akira cried, "Domestic violence. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!"

"How is this domestic violence?!" Tamotsu snapped but he let go of the two anyways and he let out a frustrated grunt. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Now that ya know what to call each other, how about ya learn what our mission is?"

Hitomi immediately stood at attention and she straightened her posture. "Yes, sir," she said firmly while her new teammate took a more casual approach.

"Haiiii, Tamotsu Sensei!" Akira sang out while giving Tamotsu a little wink.

Tamotsu rolled his eyes and then put his hands on his hips. "If ya haven't noticed, there's only two of you here. This team needs a third member so our mission is to retrieve him."

"Retrieve him?" Hitomi asked.

"It's a he?" Akira pouted and then shot a sorrowful look at Hitomi, "I don't work well with boys."

"Yes, it's the first part of our D-Rank mission to the Wind Temple. Our new team member has been decided by the Council and we are to go there to get him," Tamotsu said, ignoring Akira's comment, "Then, once our team has been assembled, then we'll take on the second part."

"The Wind Temple?" Akira asked and wrinkled his nose, "We're going to be paired with a monk?!"

"That's for you two to find out when we get there," Tamotsu stated, "Which will be tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" Hitomi asked in slight alarm, "But that means we'll need to leave now!"

"Exactly," Tamotsu said as he picked her up and carried her on his back. Then he nodded at Akira, "Let's go."

"What?!" Akira shrieked as Tamotsu dashed off, "Now, Tamotsu Sensei?! Shouldn't we pack a dinner or something?!"

Akira blinked as the dust trail Tamotsu left behind began to settle back down into the sand. Then his eyes widened and he ran after them, "Ah! Tamotsu Sensei, Chibi-chan! Wait for me!"


	14. the Written Word

To the surprise of both Tamotsu and Hitomi, they arrived at the Wind Temple in the middle of the night. The Wind Temple was a large building made out of sandstone and stood at the center of the desert. Stone stairs were placed on all four directions, welcoming any travellers to climb up the steps and into the place of worship.

Akira sat at the foot of one of those stairs, fanning himself with a paper fan while lightly dabbing his face with a hand towel. "Tamotsu Sensei," he panted, "Did we have to go that fast? All this sweat has melted off my makeup. Oh! I just don't think I'll be presentable when we announce ourselves to the monks."

Hitomi tilted her head. "But Akira Nee-San, the second half of our journey, Tamotsu was trying to keep up with you," she said.

"You go just as fast as I do when I'm not carrying Hito," Tamotsu said with an impressed smile as he lowered Hitomi to the sand. "Not bad at all, Akira-kun."

Akira pouted. Not at all thrilled by what he heard. "Akira-chan, Tamotsu Sensei," he corrected.

"No," Tamotsu said flatly, "How about just Akira then?"

Akira shrugged but kept the pout on his lips.

Hitomi knelt to the ground and placed her hand on the sand. "Glass Release: Guidance."

Akira's eyes widened as Hitomi formed another glass staff and he pressed his hands against his cheeks, completely dropping the fan and towel he was holding. "Chibi-chan!" he gasped, "You have the First's Kekkei Tota?!"

_Tap. Tap._

Hitomi tapped the stair in front of her twice before stepping onto it. "Yes," she said, "It seems we both have surprising abilities."

_Tap. Tap._

Akira watched as Hitomi slowly repeat her two tap, one step process. Then when she got to the fifth step, Akira smiled softly and got to his feet. "Oh that will never do, Chibi-chan," he said, "If we go at that pace, we won't reach the top until the sun rises."

He tucked his hands under his sleeves and then pulled out a five senbons in each hand. He crossed them over his face. "Secret Medical Technique: Nerve Duet."

He released the senbons and sent them flying at Hitomi and they struck her behind the neck, the shoulders, the elbows, the knees, and the ankles. Each senbon had a chakra thread that linked it to each of Akira's fingers.

"What?!" Hitomi cried out, unable to contain her surprise, as she was suddenly running up the stairs with Akira only three steps behind her.

Tamotsu grinned and followed closely behind them. By the time he reached the top, Akira was examining his face in a compact mirror while Hitomi was studying her new team member with fascination.

"Now then," Tamotsu said as he approached the closed stone door of the Wind Temple that was flanked by two giant statues of tengus. He lifted the matching stone knocker that hung right at the center of the door, "Are you guys ready to meet your new team member?"

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

"At least wait for us to answer, Tamotsu Sensei," Akira pouted as he snapped his compact shut and tucked it under his sleeves.

"Someone's coming," Hitomi said as she clasped her hands in front of her and faced the door.

The door creaked open and an old monk with a white beard that reached all the way down to his chest stepped through it. He wore the standard white and beige monk robe for the Land of the Wind. Draped over the waistband of his monk robe was a white cloth with the symbol of the Land of Wind painted on it in black ink. He had his one hand up with the thumb pressed to his chest and he bowed in greeting when he spotted the Suna headband on Tamotsu. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow morning, Tamotsu-san."

"Are you Abukara-sama?" Tamotsu asked with a grin and the monk nodded his head, "Quite the honor to have the head monk greet us so late at night."

"I am usually the last one to go to sleep," Abukara said as he pushed the door slightly wider for the group, "I find it hard to rest when there are still people running around. Come, let me show you where you can stay for the night."

"Actually, we are only here to pick up Sena," Tamotsu said and both Hitomi and Akira tilted their head towards him in curiosity, "We weren't intending to stay."

"We weren't?!" Akira shrieked and then he sank to his knees in defeat, "But we've been running all night and we skipped dinner."

He pointed an accusing finger at Tamotsu. "Slave driver. SLAVE DRIVER!"

_Thwack!_

Without even looking back at him, Tamotsu landed a hard fist to Akira's head as he kept a jovial smile at the old monk.

"I see," Abukara said and he nodded at Tamotsu, "Very well then. I shall go fetch him. Please wait inside."

They followed the old monk into the main worship hall where a large sandstone incense burner stood near the center of the courtyard. Beyond it was a statue of a thousand arm buddha that was surrounded by altars and more incense burners.

"Ah, before you go," Tamotsu said and handed the monk a white cloth, matching the one Abukara had tucked over his pants but instead of the Land of the Wind, it had the Suna mark painted on it, "This now belongs to Sena."

Abukara took the cloth and nodded graciously at Tamotsu before walking away, leaving them alone in the temple.

Akira stopped just beyond the doorway but Hitomi slipped her hand into the crook of Tamotsu's arm and nodded forward. "I would like to offer a prayer," she said softly and Tamotsu led her to the front altar.

"Are you religious, Chibi-chan?" Akira called out from behind.

Hitomi put her hands together and was silent for a moment before she lowered her hands and turned to face her team member. "I don't want to risk divine retribution," she said, "And I'd hate to not receive some sort of divine blessing just because I didn't ask."

"You're right," Akira gasped as he rushed forward himself and offered up a quick prayer, "Buddha, please bless Emi-chan, Hitomi-chan, Tamotsu Sensei, myself, and whoever this Sena person is."

"Who is Emi?" Hitomi asked when Akira lowered his hands.

A gentle but sad smile crossed Akira's face. "She's my little sister."

"Tamotsu-san, this is Sena-kun," the old monk called out, interrupting Hitomi from asking anymore and they all turned towards him. Alongside him was a young boy that was just few inches shorter than Akira with a smooth bald head and but thick black eyebrows. His eyes were hooded and the green eyes glared at them with intensity. That was all Akira and Tamotsu could see of his facial features as he wore the Suna cloth tied across his face, covering everything below the eyes.

 _A Yin user,_ Hitomi thought to herself as she studied his chakra.

He wore the standard shinobi monk robes but he had one arm out of the sleeve that showed the muscle definition on his torso and arms. It also revealed he had black ancient texts tattooed at from his shoulder to the lower parts of his body like a written zebra pattern. He also had a large scroll that he carried on his back and a calligraphy brush tucked along the waistband of his monk robe.

Akira crinkled his nose and stepped a little closer to Hitomi. "He looks mean," he said.

"!"

Sena's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed, giving his face a menacing look.

"Eeek! I've angered him!" Akira shrieked and then to his surprise, Sena spun around and crouched low onto the ground, with his back turned towards the group. He was hunched over so they couldn't see what he was doing but they could see that his right arm was moving rapidly in little movements.

Tamotsu and Akira shared a look of confusion but then before they could say anything, Sena was back on his feet facing them with his arm out. He held a folded piece of paper in his hand and Akira tentatively took it by pinching the corners with his index finger and thumb. He cautiously unfolded the paper.

_My name is Sena. I do not wish you any harm. You both are very pretty._

"Eh?!" Akira gasped while Tamotsu roared with laughter after he took a peak over Akira's shoulder.

"You're not mean. You're shy!" Tamotsu laughed.

"Thank you for your compliment, Sena-san," Hitomi said and both Akira and Tamotsu's eyes flicked over towards her, "My name is Hitomi Saboten. To my left is Akira Nee-San and to my right is Tamotsu."

Akira waved a hand in front of her face. "Chibi-chan. You can see?!"

He shrieked and then looked over at the statue of buddha while clutching Hitomi to his chest, "It's a blessing by Buddha! We've witnessed a miracle!"

"No," Hitomi said, not even struggling against Akira's hold, "I saw it because he wrote it in chakra."

Akira and Tamotsu looked at Sena in surprise and the old monk smiled at them. "We, shinobi monks of the Wind Temple, have been following the practices of Bunpuku-sama and the power of the written word."

"Bunpuku-sama?" Akira asked.

"He was one of the earliest jinchuurikis," Hitomi stated, "And helped the Second Kazekage develop a sealing jutsu for Tailed Beasts."

"I see," Akira said and looked at Sena, "So you are a sealing expert then?"

Once again, Sena quickly got into a crouched position and then hurriedly handed out another piece of paper.

_I try my best._

"Well," Akira breathed as he looked at Sena in wonder, "I don't say this often to boys...Actually, I have never said this to _any_ boy, but...Aren't you just the _cutest_?!"

Immediately, Sena's whole head turned red and Tamotsu stifled a laugh. "I guess that's why you cover your face then. So people don't see you blush, Sena-kun?" Tamotsu asked.

Sena nodded and Akira clapped his hands in delight. "Oh, this is just so fun!" Akira squealed as he ran towards Sena. He grabbed the monk's hand and pulled him towards Tamotsu and Hitomi. Then he enveloped his arms around them all while the monk's head turned the same shade as a ripe tomato, "Group hug! Group hug!"

"Don't get too happy yet," Tamotsu said as he pushed the three young ones away from him. He put his hands on his hips and he eyed them carefully, "Now that we're all here, it's time to-"

"Haiii, Tamotsu Sensei," Akira immediately cried out and shot up a dainty hand in the air, "I'll start the introductions."

He coughed and patted the flower behind his ear before smiling pointedly at every one of his teammates. "Hello, everyone, I am Akira but please call me Akira Nee-San. I am 16, single, and I enjoy needlepoint, flower arranging, tea parties, and the human body. My dream is to be the most beautiful and talented medical nin in the world."

"I was actually-" Tamotsu started to say.

"I am Hitomi Saboten but I guess you can call me Hito," Hitomi said in deep thought, taking her introduction very seriously, "I am 12, single, and I enjoy playing Shogi, eating sweets, and studying history. My dream is to one day be a Council member for Sunagakure."

"OHHH, what a wonderful dream, Chibi-chan!" Akira said supportively and then looked over at Sena, who was writing furiously as if his life depended on it.

_I am Sena. Please call me Sena. I am 15, have taken a vow of celibacy, and I enjoy reading, biwa music, and prayer. My dream is to spread the teachings of Bunpuku-sama and be enlightened by the way of Buddha._

"Yay!" Akira cheered, "Go, Sena!"

"Biwa music?" Hitomi asked, "Do you play the biwa?"

A few scribbles later, she got her answer.

_I try my best._

"Well, that's all we can ask for," Akira said.

_Thwack. Thwack. Thwack._

All three of them got a knock on their heads by a very much ignored Tamotsu, with Akira getting the hardest punch of them all. "That's something for me to determine, Akira, not you," Tamotsu seethed, "And do not take over this discussion. I wasn't going asking you guys to make introductions. I was trying to tell you guys your mission!"

"But you need to introduce yourself too," Hitomi said and Tamotsu gaped at her.

"What?"

"Now that we know our team members," Hitomi said, "Isn't it only fair we all know who our team leader is?"

"HIto! You're actually taking part in...whatever this is?!" Tamotsu demanded and Hitomi nodded. Tamotsu took a deep calming breath before slowly releasing it through pursed lips.

"Fine," he grunted and folded his arms over his chest, "I'm Tamotsu Sensei to all of ya from now on, even you, Hito. It's none of your business how old I am, nor is it your business about my personal life, and I enjoy grown up things that ya kids won't have any idea about. My dream is to get the hell off this subject and get back to business."

"Women, alcohol, and gambling," Akira said as he counted it off on his fingers. Then he smiled brightly at Tamotsu, "Are those the grown up things you enjoy?"

_Thwack!_

"AHHHH!" Akira cried out as he rubbed the second lump on his head, "Why do you always hit me the most?!"

"Cause you're the one who with the loosest lips!" Tamotsu growled.

Akira pressed a finger to it and he grinned. "But they're also the sooooffffttteeeesssst," he sang out but then quickly covered his head to shield himself from Tamotsu's incoming punch, "Ah! Don't hit me! I'm going to have more bumps than a buddha statue if you keep hitting me!"

Tamotsu took another calming breath. "Okay...now...are ya ready to hear what your next mission is?"

"Yes, Tamotsu Sensei," Hitomi, Akira, and Sena said in unison, revealing the deep, booming voice of Sena.

Hitomi, Akira, and Tamotsu's head snapped towards the monk.

"Are you sure you're only 15?!" Akira demanded, "You sound like you're in your thirties!"

 _I try my best._ Sena didn't even bother writing that one. He had just lifted up the same note from earlier.

"That's not really something to try for," Akira said incredulously while Tamotsu started to rub his temples.

"Okay...I'm just going to say what the mission is now before I get interrupted again," Tamotsu said very loudly, "This is a survival mission. You three are to go to the Demon Desert and meet me at the entrance to the First's tomb. You have two days to get there. Your time starts now."

"Meet you?" Akira asked, "What do you mean meet you there?"

"It's now up to ya three to figure it out. _Together!_ That's all I'll say. I'm releasing my clone now. See ya!" Tamotsu said with a grin and then with a puff of smoke, he was gone.

"What?! That was a clone?!" Akira shrieked and he looked at his teammates, "And he wants us to go to the tomb of the First? How are we supposed to know where that is?!"

Hitomi steepled her fingers together and tucked them under her chin. "I've been there. I know where it is but it was alway Tamotsu who physically brought me there," she said as she contemplated what Tamotsu just said, "I think that's what Tamotsu- ah! Tamotsu Sensei- meant by us three having to figure it out together."

"How far away is this place?" Akira demanded.

"From Suna about three days to the west," Hitomi said, "And the First's tomb is on the southern borders of it."

"And it took us basically a day to get here and we travelled north west," Akira said as he folded his arms across his chest and squeezed his eyes shut, "Which means…that it would take...about…"

"Two and a half days time to get there roughly," Hitomi answered.

"So...what you're saying that we have two days to get to a place that only a blind person knows how to get to and we have to run beyond our natural speed while going on no sleep and no food?!" Akira exclaimed.

_I can provide food._

Akira and Hitomi looked over at Sena.

"Really?!" Akira demanded and Sena nodded.

"And...Akira Nee-San," Hitomi said slowly, "I ran faster than ever when you used your senbons on me earlier today...So it's not totally impossible to go past our natural speed. I guess this is what this survival mission is. We have to rely on each other to survive."

"I guess so," Akira murmured and then he smiled brightly at his teammates, "Well then, we can't waste anymore time. Let's go!'

"Wait!" Hitomi said as she stuck a hand out into the air, "There's one small problem."

"What's that?" Akira asked.

"I have to sleep every three hours," Hitomi replied, "And it doesn't seem like either of you guys should be carrying me if we have to keep a rapid pace."

"Why do you have to sleep every three hours?!" Akira demanded.

"My Sensory Jutsu drains all my chakra…," Hitomi said guiltily, "I can't shut it off because-"

"The chakra has somehow fused to your optic nerve," Akira finished as he put a hand to his cheek, "Yes, I read about your condition...Oh dear. We need to somehow block your Sensory Jutsu and-"

_Thwack._

Akira's eyes widened as Sena suddenly stuck a seal tag on Hitomi's head.

 _This seals in all outpouring chakra_ , he scribbled onto a small piece of paper, _So it should stop the draining._

"He's right," Hitomi said as she moved her head from left to right, "I can't see anything."

"Great! Then Chibi-chan, I'll have you run in front of me and you just tell us the general direction on how to get there," Akira said slotting himself in as the authority figure of the group, "If we get hungry, we'll do a quick stop to eat whatever it is that Sena-kun has. Everyone okay with the plan? Okay. Let's go!"

Sena walked over and he got on his knees in front of the old monk, who had been watching them with fascination the entire time. Sena pressed his forehead and palms against the stone floor. "Thank you, for everything, Abukura-sama. I will make this temple proud," he said.

"Just that mentality is enough," the old monk replied as he knelt down to place a hand on Sena's shoulder, "If the outside world is too much for you, you can always come back, Sena. You will always have the Wind Temple to return to."

"Thank you, Abukura-sama," Sena said as he lifted his head to show that his eyes were glistening with tears, "I...I...I...I cannot express how much-"

"Then don't," Abukura interrupted kindly, "Sometimes there are things that not even the written word can convey but that is because the heart is so much more understanding than the mind. Remember that when you meet new people, Sena."

"Yes, Abukura-sama. I will," Sena said as he bowed his head one more time, "Thank you."

"Don't worry, Abukura-sama!" Akira sang as he rushed over to help Sena up to his feet and push him towards the door, "We'll take extra good care of Shy Sena-kun! We'll make sure he writes to you every day and eats his veggies...and...what else do you do as a monk?"

"Pray?" Hitomi suggested.

"Oh yeah! Pray!" Akira shouted as he shoved Sena through the door and hurriedly grabbed Hitomi by the hand, while waving to the old monk on everyone's behalf, "We'll make sure he prays _extra_ hard, Abukura-sama! Byeeeeeeee!"

As the door slammed shut behind them, the old monk could hear Akira's voice carry into the night sky. "We gotta hurry! We're on a deadline. We're already late and it's by no means fashionable too. Ugh! I'm going to get so many stress lines from this. I vote a day at the hotsprings as a reward."

"I second that vote," Hitomi said.

There was no answer from Sena but the old monk guessed that he had no objections. He turned to pray the Buddha one last time before calling it a night.

 _Please watch over Sena-kun_ , the old monk thought, _And protect him while he attempts to tame the jinchuuriki._

From high up on the roof, hidden in the shadows, Tamotsu grinned as he watched the three genins run off. M _aybe those old geezers do know what they're saying_ , he thought to himself.

* * *

_The Day Before_

Tamotsu crumpled the paper in his hand that detailed all the pertinent information about the new team member and he shook it furiously at the Council. "Oy! What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, "Pairing one of those monks with Hito? You're trying to control Gaara again, aren't ya? Are ya trying to get these kids killed?!"

"Hitomi-sama has the First's kekkei tota and there's no denying that she is a Guardian," Tojuro stated and his fellow Council Members nodded in agreement, "It only makes sense that as a Guardian, she will be responsible for the Tailed Beast."

"But she's just a genin. A new one at that!" Tamotsu shouted and then threw the paper at Tojuro, who smoothly avoided it with a calm sidestep, "And this kid is no better than a genin either!"

"If we were to put Hitomi-sama with higher level shinobis," Tojuro said, "It would make it harder for her to take the Chunin Exams, don't you think?"

Tamotsu froze and Tojuro smiled at him. "Hitomi-sama may have passed the Genin Exams with flying colors but as of now, she is not capable of passing the Chunin Exams, especially without anyone familiar to work with. As her sensei, you should already be aware of that."

The jonin said nothing back, seeing the reasoning behind the Council's decision.

"We are assembling this team in preparation for the future," Tojuro said, "You have our word, Tamotsu, that the Council will not assign any missions related to Gaara and the Tailed Beast until the team passes the Chunin Exams."

"Seems you've thought of everything," Tamotsu said in a clipped voice, "So how come you're leaving it up to me decide who the third team member is?"

"You know Hitomi-sama's abilities the most," Tojuro replied, "And what she lacks."

"But I don't know any genins except Hito."

"Why don't you tell us what you'll need? Most likely we would have a good candidate somewhere among the tribes."

Tamotsu crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "We would need someone who would be able to help Hitomi run. Maybe someone who knows Puppet Technique?," he thought outloud and then he scratched the back of his head, "Or maybe a medical nin? That might be helpful down the line...Definitely need a long range person...Or maybe someone who is strong in taijutsu?! Gah...I don't know."

Goza, the head of the Hoki tribe, smiled from his seat, making the red stripes that he marked across his chinks crinkle up into his dimples. "Might I make a suggestion then? I may know of a medical nin who is what you asked for."

Tamotsu gaped at him. "All of it?!"

"Most of it," Goza said, "But I must warn you, he might have the skills you're looking for but he definitely does not have the personality."

Tamotsu took a deep breath and thought about his given situation. Pairing two random people with Hitomi to maybe take on a Tailed Beast for the future? This was completely ridiculous. Suddenly, in the corner of his eyes, he caught the statue of the First and he stiffened. _Ridiculous or not_ , he thought as he clenched his jaw, _I promised Rika-sensei I'd look after her and this is what Hito wants._

"Fine!" he said and he pointed at Tojuro, "But I want one week with them before ya send us on any missions. I don't care if it's even a menial D-rank one where all we're doing is watching paint dry. Give me one week."

Tojuro nodded. "You have one week."


	15. Change of Plans

"We...we...we…-"

_We made it._

Akira's head popped up from it's spot between his bent and quaking legs. He pouted at Sena, who was holding up his note, while dabbing the side of his sweating face with a towel. "I was going to say that," Akira said breathlessly.

_Sorry._

"May I take off the seal now?" Hitomi asked politely as she touched the paper stuck over her headband. It was slightly damp from her own sweat.

The sun was blazing down on them from directly above. The three of them had run nonstop, even eating while still moving. The food Sena said he had was actually sealed into the scroll he carried on his back and he had handed it to them in the middle of the first day during their journey. It was not enough though and their stomachs grumbled terribly as they stood behind a sand dune that was about a mile away from the large stone wall that bordered the Demon Desert. If they climbed to the top of the dune, they would be spotted by the shinobi guards.

"Yes, Chibi-chan," Akira said and gently tore off the seal, "Look around. Is this where we're supposed to be?"

Hitomi tilted her head and scanned the area with her returned Sensory Jutsu. "Two shinobis in the outpost 30 degrees northeast of us, two others directly opposite from them, four more beyond that…And..."

Her voice trailed off. She took in a deep breath and she let out a smile. "Yes. We're here. This is the entrance to the First's tomb."

"But where is Tamotsu Sensei?" Akira asked and looked around them, "And is this really the entrance? I would think that it would be something elaborate. It was built honoring the First, after all."

"There is a front entrance but it's within the Demon Desert," Hitomi said, "To get through that we'll have to get past the guards. This is a hidden entrance that Tamotsu and- ah! I mean, Tamotsu Sensei- and I usually use to get in."

"So where is he?" Akira pressed.

Hitomi dipped her chin down and she frowned at her feet for a moment. Then she looked up and walked over to Akira. She pulled him a few steps to the left.

"What's going on, Chibi-ch-AHHHHHH!" Akira screamed as Chikyu's head poked out from the sand exactly where Akira was moved from. He tripped over his feet and stumbled into the arms of Sena, who wordlessly righted him back up, "Whew. Thank you, Sena and please! No need to write a response. I know you try your best."

Sena nodded his head as Chikyu's nose twitched up at them. Then she dug herself out of the sand with a very sandy Tamotsu climbing out behind her.

"Hello, pup," Chikyu said as she brushed her nose gently across the top of HItomi's head, "Tomato-boy has told me that you now have a team of your own."

"Hello, Chikyu-sama," Hitomi replied, "And yes. Meet Akira Nee-chan and Sena. Everyone, this is Chikyu."

Akira and Sena walked closer to the large armadillo and they smiled at her. "Haiii, Chikyu-sama!" Akira cried gleefully as he patted the flower in his hair, "My name is-"

"You're all just going to ignore me, ya little ingrates?!" Tamotsu snapped from the side as he brushed the sand off of his shirt and pants.

Hitomi turned to him and she bowed her head. "Tamotsu...Sensei...I didn't get to use my Sensory Jutsu but I'm guessing you and Chikyu had been following us below in the sand this whole time?"

Tamotsu smirked as Akira and Sena looked at him in surprise. "Of course. Ya think I'm that heartless to leave three kids alone in the desert? Ya guys did good."

"YAY!" Akira cheered, "Now we can go home!"

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow. "Did I say the mission was done?" he asked and Akira's whole face fell.

"What? But I'm so tired and hungry…" he whined. He knelt down to the ground and started to draw circles in the sand with his index finger, "Boo…This whole team thing is so hard."

"A shinobi should be prepared to endure all types of hardships," Tamotsu lectured but then his face softened and he pulled out a sack of food from behind his back, "But luckily for you guys, Chikyu and I had some food ready for ya. We'll eat when we go into the Tomb and start our training."

"Yay! Food!" Akira's attitude changed instantly and he jumped up with both fists thrusting into the air. Then he stiffened when he realized what Tamotsu had said, "Wait! We're going to be training in there?! Isn't there traps and stuff?! I heard so many people have died trying to enter the First's Tomb!"

"Relax," Tamotsu grinned, "With me and Chikyu around, you'll only have to worry about what I tell you to worry about."

"You say relax but…" Akira said with a pout.

"Hito. Open the gate," Tamotsu instructed and Hitomi pulled the sleeves back from her kimono. She was about to put her hands together when she paused just an inch from clasping her hands and forming the Ram sign. She tilted her head up and frowned.

"I think we're being watched...," she said softly.

Immediately, Tamotsu got into his ready stance and he appeared in front of Hitomi with his naginata in hand, wedging her between the sand dunes and him. "Akira. Sena. Get behind me," he said through clenched teeth, "Hito. I assume you bringing it up means it's not the guards?'

Hitomi shook her head as Akira and Sena scrambled to her side, "It's coming from the other direction...It's just two people. Both wind and earth users."

"Jonin?"

"I think so…but they're not approaching us at all."

"Wait...what's going on?" Akira asked nervously.

"That's what I want to know," Tamotsu said. His hands tightened around his weapon and he shared a concerned look with Chikyu.

At best, it was two observers sent by the Council to keep an eye out on what they were doing. At worst, they were here to kill them or gain entry into the First's Tomb and _then_ kill them. Tamotsu wasn't as oblivious as Michiko thought him to be. He knew that there are tons of people, both shinobis and regular people, who believe the myth that the First left behind treasures and the secret to releasing his Kekkei Tota. There were even some who believed they would have access to a godlike power. Tamotsu knew he and Chikyu could protect Hitomi with no problem but he wasn't so confident about also protecting Akira and Sena. Those two were wild cards.

"What should we do?" Akira whispered.

"They're not moving?" Tamotsu asked, directing his question at Hitomi.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Tamotsu relaxed his stance and he put his naginata on his back. "Okay. Then I guess we have no choice."

"Eep! Don't say it so ominously!" Akira shrieked as he brought his hands to his cheeks, "What are we going to do? Are we going to fight?!"

"No," Tamotsu said as he plopped himself down on the sand and looked up at the sky, "We're going to do nothing."

Hitomi tilted her head to the side and then she nodded in understanding. "I see."

"What?! What do you see?" Akira asked, "Someone please explain to me what's going on!"

 _You're too loud, Akira Nee-chan,_ Sena scribbled, _Whoever is watching us could hear you._

"Eeep! I'm so sorry!" Akira shouted, slapping his hand over his mouth and knelt into a low crouch, as if that would make him invisible.

"No," Hitomi said, "Akira Nee-chan being loud could work to our advantage."

"Eh?" Akira and Sena looked at her in surprise while Tamotsu nodded in agreement.

"Those people have probably been watching us for a long time now," Hitomi explained, "We won't know their intentions unless they move. What they do next will reveal what they are here for. If they leave, it means they were here solely for observation and were not planning to face us. If they move towards us, it will be because we forced them to do so earlier than they expected. So any well thought out plan they had would be cancelled."

"Ah," Tamotsu agreed, "If they can hear Akira, then they'll know that we have spotted them. They'll know we're at a standstill unless they do something."

Chikyu ambled over a little closer and she laid down on the sand. She rested the side of her head against the sand, with one ear pressed against the ground. Her large body casted a shadow over Tamotsu and he leaned up against her hard shell, which was cool to the touch. He grinned at his three responsibilities. "Come into the shade and enjoy your unexpected break."

"If you need to sleep, little pup," Chikyu said without moving her head, "You should do so now. I can keep watch."

"Do you have Sensory-Jutsu too, Chikyu-sama?" Akira asked.

"She can feel vibrations even from the sand and if it's within 50 meters, she can hear them too," Hitomi said as she laid down and rested her head on Tamotsu's lap.

"Alright, I guess we can eat," Tamotsu said as he set down the sack of food he brought. He untied the bottom and revealed a whole smorgasbord of dead insects.

"WHAAAAAT?! You expect us to eat that?!" Akira screeched, making Hitomi jerk awake.

"It's very nutritious," Tamotsu said as he grabbed a large beetle and bit its head off in a dramatic fashion. There was a loud crunchy sound followed by squishing between Tamotsu's teeth, "If you want to survive in the desert, you're gonna need to rely on these."

Akira put a finger to his lips as he stifled a gag. His cheeks expanded like a bullfrogs and his face turned green. "I don't think...I can eat those…"

"It's fine, Akira Nee-chan," Hitomi said sleepily as she brought her head back down to Tamotsu, "Some of them are very sweet so you can pretend they're jelly filled cookies."

"Chibi-chan, don't say that," Akira whimpered, "I'm never going to look at cookies the same way again."

Tamotsu grinned and then he brought out a smaller cloth bag. He untied it and it had four pieces of fruit on it. "Don't worry. It's not all I brought. We have a monk in our presence after all."

Akira tackled Tamotsu and wrapped his arms right underneath Tamotsu's armpits. He just a few centimeters shy of clocking Hitomi in the head. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Tamotsu Sensei!" Akira said gratefully before turning to the fruit and gobbling one down.

Sena nodded his appreciation and took a piece of fruit himself. They sat there for over an hour, under the protective shade of Chikyu. They were at a standstill with whoever was watching them. However they were anything but quiet as Akira chatted away to absolutely no one in particular.

"And then the girl kissed the boy and she said, 'I was born to love you.' Kyaaaa! Isn't that so romantic? I've read that chapter about fifty times," Akira said happily.

"Hearing it just once is enough for me," Tamotsu grumbled while keeping a wary eye on the sleeping Hitomi. Sena nodded from his spot with his head a bright red.

"Oh dear," Akira said, spotting Sena's condition, "I hope you're not getting sunburn, Sena. You should really take care of your skin, you know."

"That is definitely not the problem, Akira," Tamotsu snapped. He was about to say more when the sound of a hawk's cry interrupted him.

They all looked up just as a brown hawk came swooping down at Tamotsu with a tiny pouch strapped on his leg. Tamotsu quickly held up an arm for it to land on and his eyes widened when he recognized the hawk.

"Tobimaru?!" he gasped, recognizing it as one of the two fastest hawks in Sunagakure.

"Release!" Tamotsu said, undoing the sealing jutsu on the pouch and hurriedly reading its contents. When he was done, he nodded at Tobimaru. "Got it. You can return Tobimaru. You're job is done."

The hawk gave a small cry and then flew off. Tamotsu's brows furrowed and he crushed the note in his hand. "Those old geezers...Already breaking their word."

"What's going on?" Akira asked as Hitomi sleepily got up to her knees.

"We have to go," Tamotsu said solemnly, "There's an emergency at Konoha and they're asking for our assistance."

"WHAT?" Akira cried as Hitomi's whole body went rigid.

"Konoha...is asking for our help?" Hitomi asked.

Tamotsu nodded and got up to his feet. He put his hand on Chikyu's back. "Chikyu, would you mind taking us to the border?"

"Not at all, Tomato-boy," Chikyu replied.

Tamotsu turned to Hitomi. "There's a time constraint on this mission so the Council has no choice but to dispatch the two closest teams. Apparently, one of them is us."

Hitomi frowned. "That does make sense. We're only about a couple hours away from the Land of Rivers. Less if we use Chikyu..."

"What's the mission?" Akira asked.

The crease between Tamotsu's eyebrows became even deeper. "It's a B-rank mission so be prepared."

"B-rank?! Already?!" Akira shrieked, "We can't do that!"

"Time must really be a factor then," Hitomi said at the same time.

"Ah," Tamotsu nodded, "We are to go and support a team from Konoha on their rescue mission against shinobis from Otogakure."

Hitomi's eyes flew open out of pure surprise and it took a second before she snapped it shut. "Who are we rescuing?"

"It doesn't say but it does say who we are supporting. You actually know some of them, Hito."

"Eh?!" Akira's attention ping ponged between Tamotsu and Hitomi, "What? You know people in Konoha, Chibi-chan?"

"Did Orochimaru-san take Naruto-san?" Hitomi asked and Tamotsu shook his head.

"No. We're actually going to _support_ Naruto Uzumaki. He's part of the rescue mission led by Shikamaru Nara. It's a team of 6. It seems the abductors are making their way towards the border of the Land of Fire so if we leave now we can meet them head on."

"Who in Konoha is requesting this from us?" Hitomi asked, "Does this mean they've appointed a new Hokage?"

"Ah," Tamotsu nodded, "It seems they were able to track down the third Sanin, Tsunade-sama."

Akira gasped and he immediately ran towards Tamotsu. He clutched a fistful of Tamotsu's tshirt and pulled him so that they were nose to nose. His usual lackadaisical expression was gone, replacing his pretty boy face with that of a scowling man's. His brows knitted together and his eyes darkened. "SENSEI!" he roared, "Did you say Tsunade-sama?! The legendary medical nin?! She's in Konoha?!"

Tamotsu nodded, slightly taken aback by the sudden burst of masculinity and gravity from Akira. "Ah."

"Sensei," Akira said, his voice low and steady, "We need to go."

Tamotsu's eyebrow raised as Akira released his hold on the jonin's shirt. He wasn't sure what caused Akira's change of heart but he was glad that there was something in the world that the boy took seriously.

"I wonder why Father did not bring up Tsunade-sama being the new Hokage during the meeting," Hitomi wondered out loud.

"This was fairly new information that the Council had just received themselves. They were still debating on how to handle Konoha's new appointment," Tamotsu stated.

"Do...you and your Father not talk, Chibi-chan?" Akira asked. His voice and expression had gone soft again.

Hitomi shook her head. "My Father has kicked me out of the house and wants to sever all ties with me."

"EH?!" Akira gasped. He rushed over to kneel in front of Hitomi and he put two hands on her shoulder, "Chibi-chan, are you alright with that? You must be very sad."

"It's fine, Akira Nee-chan," Hitomi said calmly back and then turned to Tamotsu, "Who is the second team?

"Chibi-chan...are you sure?" Akira whispered but Hitomi did not answer him. Her focus was on Tamotsu, who was hesitant to answer so Hitomi tried again.

"You said we were one of two teams being assigned on this. Who is the second, Tamotsu Sensei?"

Tamotsu sucked in a breath. "It's Gaara's team."

Sena's eyes became alert and he got up to his feet. Hitomi tilted her head for a moment and then she clasped her hands. "It appears time is not the only factor here then...They really do intend on using me as the Guardian, aren't they, Tamotsu Sensei?"

Tamotsu nodded. "I tried, Hito. I tried to give us more time but-"

Hitomi smiled and she turned to Sena. "It explains why you've been asked to join our team. Have you been tasked to draw out the Tailed Beast and seal it away for eternity?"

"You what?!" Akira shrieked.

"Only if necessary," Sena said, breaking his silence, "Bunpuku-sama's teachings have always strived for a way for the Tailed Beast and it's host to live in unity. My main purpose is to support that but…"

"If there is no hope for that, you are to seal away the Tailed Beast...," Hitomi finished and she nodded her head in understanding, "Might I ask you a favor then, Sena? As a team member?"

Sena nodded.

"When the time comes, may I make that call?" she asked and everyone, including Chikyu, gaped at her.

"Oy, Hito, what are you-" Tamotsu started to say but Hitomi interrupted him. Her focus was only on Sena.

"I have the blood and ability of the First," she said, "Which makes me the Guardian. As the Guardian of Sunagakure, the safety of the village is my priority. It also makes Gaara-san my responsibility. As you are right now, Sena, even though I have no doubt in your sealing abilities, you do not possess the right judge of character. Having only lived in the Wind Temple...So...if Gaara-san ever loses control of the Tailed Beast...if the time comes to decide...could you trust in me to make that choice?"

They stood in silence for a long time until finally Sena nodded his head.

HItomi smiled at him with sincerity and gratitude. "Thank you."

"HITO!" Tamotsu growled, grabbing her by the arm and turning her so that they were standing face to face, "What the hell are you doing? I've remained quiet about you and Gaara for far too long so you better explain what is going on in that head of yours. He is dangerous and you are not even remotely ready to-"

Hitomi's expression was unwavering. "Whether or not I am ready is irrelevant. I was born with the First's kekkei tota and Gaara was born with Shukaku sealed within him. Those are two facts that cannot be changed. Our fates were bound together from the moment we were born and that is something that you need to stop fighting."

"Is that why you've been helping him? Giving him advice and all that?! Because this is some sort of destiny?" Tamotsu demanded.

"You know I don't believe in that," Hitomi said and she took a deep breath, "He's trying, Tamotsu. I don't know why he's doing it but he's trying to be a part of the village. Not as a jinchuuriki but as a shinobi. I want to help him."

"What if he fails?"

"What if he succeeds?"

Tamotsu was caught off guard and his hold on Hitomi loosened.

"Tamotsu," Hitomi said, "I am fully aware that Gaara-san is a risk but he is a risk worth taking."

"Why? Why are you putting so much faith in him?!" Tamotsu demanded, "Don't you realize that it's dangerous to trust him?!"

Hitomi reached up and covered his hands with his. "My faith and trust is not with him," she said quietly, "It's with Mother."

Tamotsu's eyes widened and Hitomi could tell that those words hit home. _You're trying to do what Rika Sensei couldn't, Hito? Is this what this is all about?!_

He watched as Hitomi walked steadily towards Chikyu. Then, Akira approached him and tugged on a corner of his sleeve.

"Tamotsu Sensei," Akira said very quietly so only he could hear him, "Is Chibi-chan really okay with being cut off from her family?"

"From her Father," Tamotsu corrected just as faintly, "But yes, she is. In fact, she had emotionally severed ties with her Father many years ago."

"Why?"

"Because her father betrayed her mother."


	16. Search and Save

Temari and Kankuro were at their wits' end. It was one thing to obey Gaara's wishes but it was quite another when his wishes were for them to listen to a snot nosed genin. The Sand Siblings had received their orders to find and support the dispatched shinobis from Konoha just as they finished up their last mission together. Kankuro and Temari's head were still reeling over the fact that Gaara was to join the regular forces after this.

Now, to really test their recent resolve to help guide their brother into forming these so called bonds, the girl who gave Gaara this hair brained idea was assigned to work with them.

When they managed to cross paths with Team Tamotsu just past the borders, they had agreed to let the jonin take the lead. After all, he was the most senior ranking shinobi.

However, what they didn't plan on was for the jonin to suddenly put the girl in charge, or at least have her take her sweet time with her Sensing Jutsu. That was how the Sand Siblings found themselves standing in the middle of a forest waiting for the girl to finish thinking.

"Oy! We don't have time for this," Kankuro snapped, "Right, Temari? Gaara?!"

Gaara, who stood next to a tree with his arms folded across his chest, didn't even bother to look at his brother. His eyes were closed as he waited patiently for the next move. He looked different in Kankuro's eyes and it wasn't because he had switched out of his usual attire and into a dark red bodysuit. No, this Gaara was different than the boy they had come to Konoha the first time. He seemed more human.

Unbeknownst to Kankuro, though, deep down, Gaara was not as calm as he appeared to be.

 _You're really going to just sit back and watch? Konoha is right there! Why don't you finish what you started?!_ , Shukaku growled.

_No! I will not lay a single grain of sand on Naruto._

_What's gotten into you?! You used to be much more fun!_

_Shut it_ , Gaara thought back, feeling Shukaku's chakra start to rage.

 _Ughhh! I used to tolerate you because even though you're a nasty human you got rid a lot of the other humans,_ Shukaku cried in frustration,  _But now you're just being plain annoying! Come on! Kill them! Rip them to pieces! I'll even let you use my chakra! Do something!_

_Shut it and leave me alone._

Gaara's sand picked up speed in his gourd and swarmed inside the vessel, pushing up against the cork in protest.  _You too, Mother,_ he thought,  _Both of you. Just leave me alone. I need to do this on my own!_

He forced himself to think about Naruto Uzumaki. The boy who managed to live a life so differently than him. A life with strong bonds to other people.  _He did it on his own. I must do it too. I'm not going to give into you, Mother! I'm not-_

"Gaara-san?"

Gaara's eyes snapped open and he looked at the girl, who was curiously facing him with a blank expression.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. Apparently she was the only one who noticed his mental torment since her question caused his siblings to look over nervously at him. He noticed that the monk that came with Hitomi sat up a little straighter from his spot but then looked at Hitomi, as if waiting for her cue. Gaara's eyes moved back to the girl.

 _Come on! Don't you want to squeeze every last drop of blood out of her?,_ Shukaku shrieked,  _That annoying blood of the First?_

"Leave me alone," Gaara said out loud to both the girl and Shukaku. Seeing the people around him gave Gaara the willpower to force his sand back down into the gourd, "I'm fine."

He took a deep breath and decided to keep his eyes open. He fixed it on the girl.  _Just concentrate on her. On the ones around me. Not the ones inside of me. Focus on the mission._

The androgynous shinobi that came with the girl took a tentative step towards her as she went back to sensing. He was still connected to the chakra needles attached to Hitomi's nerves. "Chibi-chan,' he said, looking at Hitomi as she knelt by his feet with her fingers steepled and under her chin, "Purple Face is right. If time is of the essence, we need to get moving fast."

"Who are you calling Purple Face?!" Kankuro seethed.

"A minute of careful planning," Hitomi said calmly, "Is worth 30 minutes of unnecessary action."

"You've taken 10 so we should be good for 5 hours then," Temari shot back.

"Would you rather run towards Konoha with the strong chance of passing by Shikamaru-san's team?," Hitomi asked rhetorically. Then she dropped her hand and stood up, "I've narrowed down the different cluster of chakras I'm sensing around us to the ones who are most likely to be shinobis. About 800 meters southwest of us are two fighting shinobis. I don't recognize their chakra signatures but one of them has to be from Konoha. Considering I've seen the chakra signatures of everyone the Hokage had listed except Choji Akamiji-san, we could assume he's the one fighting."

"How could you be so sure?" Kankuro demanded.

"Because about 300 meters further from there, I sense Shikamaru-san's chakra. About 20 degrees to the west from us. He's fighting someone too. 400 meters and 5 degrees to the east of him, I sense Kiba-san," she said, "I can't sense anyone else beyond that. Given that fact, I can only assume the worst case scenario."

"Which is?" Akira asked.

"One person, one kill," Hitomi said, "They had to split up, each one taking on an enemy shinobi."

"Then we'll need to split up too," Gaara said, startling almost everyone, "Support Konoha in their individual battles. Hitomi Saboten, which enemy has the most chakra in them?"

"The one closest to us," Hitomi replied, the only one who took his participation in stride, "He blends together his water and earth chakra very well. There's a possibility he has a kekkei genkai."

"Then I'll take that one," Gaara replied, "Temari, you'll get Shikamaru since you know his ability the best. Which leaves Kankuro with the one called Kiba."

"Sounds good to me," Tamotsu said and clapped his hands together. "Alright, time for me to get back in charge. Hito, you and Akira go look for that Hyuuga kid and me and Sena will look for the Naruto guy. I think that should cover everyone on the list of names the Hokage sent us."

"Wait! How are you supposed to find him, Tamotsu Sensei?" Akira asked, "Neither you or Sena have any sensing ability!"

_There's a pattern. Just follow the line._

They all looked over at Sena, who was holding up a scroll with a couple of sporadic dots drawn around it and a straight line that seemed to connect most of them except one.

_I drew out where everyone was based on what Hitomi said. Given Hitomi's directions, these fights are happening more or less in a straight line except Kiba. We just have to go by the direction this line is and we should be able to find them._

Hitomi frowned and shifted slightly to the left. "Then that would be...this way," she said slowly and faced the direction for where that line would be.

"Yosh, you all know where you're going then?" Tamotsu asked and all the kids nodded back at him, "Good. Then, disperse!"

At his command the Three Sand Siblings went their separate ways while Team Tamotsu raced forward to find the last two Konoha shinobis. They ran for about 30 minutes when Hitomi sensed two very faint chakras. They were fading and fading fast.

"I spot two people. They are very far away from each other so I doubt they had fought against each other. One is Neji-san and the other I cannot tell so it's not Naruto-san. They're both gravely injured, Tamotsu Sensei!" Hitomi called out.

"Okay. I'll go check out who the other person is! Hito, you and Akira go get Neji. Avoid any fights. Your priority is to get Neji back to Kohona," Tamotsu said, "Now tell me where the other person is."

"The one that isn't Naruto-san is 400 meters, 30 degrees to the west," Hitomi said.

"Yosh. Let's go, Sena!" Tamotsu said as he and Sena made a slight left.

Then Hitomi pointed to her right, "Neji-san is that way, Akira Nee-San! 100 meters away. He's dying."

"Leave it to me, Chibi-chan!" Akira sang as he maneuvered Hitomi through the trees.

He gasped when he spotted two bodies laying in a clearing ahead. "Eh?! Which one is he, Chibi-chan?"

"There's someone else?" Hitomi gasped, "If I don't sense them, it means they're dead! Quick! Describe what you see!"

"A pale boy with well-conditioned black hair and a tan boy who needs to buy a comb," Akira said.

"That's not helpful," Hitomi said, "I can't see those things. Which one of them has white eyes?"

"I can't tell but the tan boy has multiple arms...OH! And a thick purple rope tied around his waist," Akira added.

"Please lead with that next time," Hitomi sighed with relief, "The pale boy is Neji-san then because he doesn't have multiple arms. I don't know who the other boy is but the purple rope is standard attire of Otogakure. So it's not Naruto-san or some other Konoha shinobi."

"Sorry! My mistake!" Akira said sheepishly as he directed Hitomi down to Neji's side.

Akira studied the boy with long black hair. He had multiple puncture wounds around his body but the most severe was on his left shoulder. Whatever had shot him had gone clean through it, missing his heart by only a little bit.

"He's cute," Akira diagnosed and gave an approved nod, "Okay. I'll save him."

Hitomi tilted her head and frowned. "Would you not have if you didn't find him attractive?"

"I'd be less motivated," Akira admitted and then he hurriedly dropped the chakra threads connecting to Hitomi. He reached under his sleeves and pulled out a new set of chakra needles, "Stay there and don't come in any closer, Chibi-chan. This boy is fatally wounded. I need to stimulate his cell reconstructuring to partially close up his wounds. Otherwise, moving him might cause more damage."

"You...can do that?" Hitomi asked.

Akira gave Hitomi a wink despite her not being able to see it. "Watch and be amazed by my genius and beauty," Akira said and plunged the needles deep into specific points in Neji's back.

The Hyuuga's eyes flew open and he let out a scream of pure agony. The wounds in his body were twisting around each other as if sewing themselves shut. From Hitomi's viewpoint, a burst of chakra appeared within Neji, giving him new life.

"Man up," Akira ordered with a smile on his face even though he knew his patient was too out of it to hear him, "This will be over in a second."

Akira waited until most of the puncture wounds have closed with a slight closure in the one in his shoulder. It hadn't fully closed as this was only a temporary relief for them to safely transport him to a hospital.

"What did you do, Akira Nee-san?" Hitomi marvelled, "He's looking better already to me."

"To put it simply, Chibi-chan, there is chakra in every little thing, including our cells," Akira explained, "I just tapped into it and gave it a little wake up call. It's called Cell Activation Jutsu"

Suddenly, Hitomi lifted her chin and frowned up towards the sky. "Help is here," she stated.

_Woosh!_

Four shinobis appeared in light beige body suits. They had the Konoha metal band embedded in their matching headwrap. "Are you-"

Akira immediately got to his feet, doing a quick spin before grabbing the parasol off his back. He posed with it leaning against his shoulder while jutting out his hip so they could see the metal Suna band sewn into the white obi that tied his yukata together. "My name is Akira but you can call me Akira Nee-San! I am the most beautiful medical nin of Suna."

The four shinobis stood in stunned silence for a solid five seconds. Akira then folded his parasol and pointed it at Hitomi. "And that is my precious Hitomi-chan."

Hitomi bowed her head, "Akira Nee-san has given Neji-san emergency treatment. We'll let you take it from here."

"Ah! Yes!" the four shinobis cried and they turned to the injured boy. One of them carried Neji on his shoulders while another one went to grab the corpse of the Otagakure shinobi. They nodded to the other two.

"We'll take them to Konoha. The rest of you find the others," the man shouldering Neji said.

"Yosh!" the two unburdened shinobis said and dispersed. The one holding the Otagakure shinobi nodded at Akira and Hitomi.

"Come with us. Some of your team members are already heading for the hospital with another injured shinobi."

"Who is injured?" Hitomi asked.

"One of ours, Choji Akamichi," the medical nin said and Hitomi stiffened.

"Chibi-chan, we should go to the hospital and wait for Tamotsu Sensei there," Akira said, "Remember, he said that was the priority?"

"But Naruto-san is still unaccounted for," Hitomi argued.

"Don't worry. His sensei, Kakashi, has gone after him. He's a solid tracker so should be able to find Naruto," one of the medical ninja replied quickly.

"Oh, I see," Hitomi said, letting out another breath of relief and nodded to the Konoha shinobi, "Then yes, please lead the way."

"Here, Chibi-chan," Akira said softly and then swiftly lifted Hitomi on his back as if she weighed nothing, "I'm going to need preserve my chakra so let me carry you for the rest of the way instead of using my chakra needles."

"Thank you, Akira Nee-san," Hitomi murmured, slightly taken aback by how toned his shoulders actually were under his robe.  _He really is a boy._

When they reached the hospital, Akira and the medical nin brought Neji into the surgery room and Hitomi patiently sat outside the room along one of the hospital benches. It felt odd to Hitomi that she was back in Konoha. Just a couple weeks ago, she was here under such different circumstances.

She felt tired and sleepy but she didn't want to fall asleep by herself. She could sense Akira's chakra from within the surgery room. Tamotsu and Sena were downstairs, waiting to see the outcome for the shinobi they retrieved. The one named Choji. She knew they were close but they weren't readily available to her.

 _By myself,_ she thought as she balled up her fists,  _I'm by myself again._

She didn't want to admit it but she was helpless without someone at her side. She was lucky to have a good head on her shoulders but that could only get her so far past her disability. That was another thing she hated to admit, especially to herself. She was handicapped.

Suddenly, her head tilted up just as the sounds of sandals hitting hard tile echoed through the hallway. The steps were steady and so was the sand-like chakra in Hitomi's mind. She turned towards the source and she nodded her head. "Gaara-san," she greeted.

"Hitomi Saboten," Gaara replied back, "You were right."

"About what?"

"The shinobi...he had a kekkei genkai. He was able to manipulate the bones in his body."

"Oh," Hitomi said. She leaned back against the wall behind her seat and folded her hands in her lap, "That's interesting. I've never heard of that before."

"How could you tell? How do you sense it?"

"I see the colors of people's chakra," Hitomi said, "Each color is a different chakra nature. If they have a tendency to blend together then it's usually a kekkei genkai."

"I see. Then how do I look to you?"

Hitomi turned to him, giving him her full attention. "Like a sand storm," Hitomi said, "But a mild one, currently."

"Currently?"

"The more chakra you manipulate, the wilder it gets," Hitomi said.

"Can you also see Shukaku's chakra?"

Hitomi stiffened at such a blunt question. She hesitated a moment to re-assess Gaara's chakra movement.  _No...it's still calm...He's not aggravated in any way…_

"Yes," she finally said.

"What does his look like?"

"It's like yours except...different."

"In what way?"

"His chakra is much more condensed. Like a ball of loose sand. The outer parts of it break off at times but that's about it. Your chakra blows around it."

"Can you see your own chakra?"

Hitomi shook her head. "It would be like you trying to see your own face without using a mirror."

"You have a kekkei tota."

Hitomi nodded. "Yes."

"I've been told that kekkei your tota is used to destroy someone like me."

Hitomi sat up a little straighter. His chakra was still moving in a steady pace but she knew just how mercurial the sand manipulator could be. "No. It was used to protect someone like you," she said slowly,"After all, you are a shinobi of Suna and the kekkei tota was used by the First to serve Sunagakure and its citizens."

"Will you try to kill me one day, Hitomi Saboten?"

"Only if you give me a reason to, Gaara-san," Hitomi replied back.

The footsteps started again and they were getting louder and louder. To Hitomi's surprise, Gaara sat down next to her, setting his large gourd in between his legs.

"You have been nothing but honest with me, even when I ask you difficult questions. I recognize that," Gaara said, "My siblings don't think you're being forthright with me but I find myself disagreeing with them...Is this what having a bond means?"

For the first time, Hitomi couldn't think of anything to say back. She was at a complete loss of words. She studied him in her mind, trying to figure out an appropriate response.

"Hitomi Saboten?" Gaara asked, noticing that her brows had slightly furrowed, "Have I said something to upset you?"

"Not at all," Hitomi stated quickly, "I'm just trying to find the right words to say to you. I apologize for my hesitancy, Gaara-san. I think I'm just slightly drained from my Sensing Jutsu."

"Are you tired?"

Hitomi bowed her head. "Yes," she admitted.

Without warning, Gaara's sand was gently pushing the side of her head. He tilted it so that she leaned against his shoulder. "You can sleep then," he said, "I'll wait here with you."

Hitomi didn't know if it was because she was too tired to fight it or if she was just felt too vulnerable sitting in a foreign hospital by herself, but she offered no protest to Gaara's offer. What she did know was that she didn't feel at all scared by the Gaara sitting next to her. In fact, she was curious...but also very tired.

"Th...Thank you, Gaara-san," she said.

"You're welcome, Hitomi Saboten," he said.

They sat as still as a statue with Gaara's legs slightly spread and his hands cupping his knees while Hitomi leaned up against his shoulder with her right arm pressed against his sturdy side. After a few minutes, he felt her head start to slowly slip down. He twitched a finger and a small stream of sand escaped from his gourd. It gently moved her head back in place before discretely returning to its container.

They stayed that way for a very long time. When the light on top of the door blinked off, indicating that the surgery was over, Akira's head popped out and then his well tweezed eyebrows rose to the top of his head when he spotted the pair.

"Kya-" he started to scream but then immediately silenced himself when Gaara's eyes moved to the corner to look directly at him.

Very slowly, Gaara moved his arm on the opposite of Hitomi and held a finger to his lips.  _Quiet._

The white haired shinobi slapped his manicured hands over his mouth and nodded obediently. He quickly returned back into the room, closing the door behind him.

The lead medical ninja of the surgery, a kunoichi named Shizune, looked curiously back at him. "Eh? I thought you were excited to report back to your friend," she said, "Unless you want to help with the clean-up?"

"Y-Y-Yes!" Akira said, feigning enthusiasm, "Let me know how I can help! I love clean up. Dirty bandages. Bloody needles. Crumpled sealing tags. What fun!"

Shizune nodded with approval. "It's good to know that there are medical ninjas like yourself, who have the talent and also passion for this field."

This time, the excitement in Akira was not forced by any means. He ran up to Shizune and grabbed her hand, "Ne! Ne! Shizune-chan, did you really mean it when you said you'd let me meet Tsunade-sama?! You wouldn't tease a girl, would you?"

"For someone who is skilled in medicine, you sure seem to be confused about genders," Shizune snorted and pulled her hand out of his hold but then she let out a smile, "But yes, I did mean it. Once she gets a full report of everyone's treatment, I'll make sure you'll have an audience with her."

"HURRAY!" Akira cheered and twirled his way towards the other medical nin, "How can I help? Let me know! Dirty bandages! I love dirty bandages!"

Shizune shook her head defeatedly but then she crossed her arms and a look of pure bewilderment crossed her face. This boy had somehow did a Cell Activation Jutsu out in the field without any equipment or sealing tags despite only being a medical nin in training when Tsunade-sama had to recently study it for many long nights just to figure it out herself. Granted, Tsunade had to do a much more intensive jutsu for Rock Lee but Cell Activation Jutsu, even at a basic level, was complicated. Shizune knew by watching him help out with Neji's surgery that the boy was still pretty rough around the edges but there was no denying that the boy was a genius.


	17. Not Terrible News

"Katsuo-sama?"

Katsuo didn't even bother to look away from the staring contest he was having with the First Kazekage's statue. He just re-clasped his hands behind his back and broadened his shoulders.

The Council had just adjourned their meeting for the day with Katsuo lingering behind the assembly room. Each day that passed without a Kage seemed to increase the workload of the Council exponentially. This was the second time this week, and the third time in his whole career, that Katsuo had to sit through a meeting that lasted well past 12 hours.

Everything seemed to be up for discussion. Every mission and every detail of the village was met with intense debate. As Katsuo stared up at the First, he wondered why exactly did the First insist on establishing a Council in the first place. Why couldn't he just have a couple of advisors on hand like the other Kages?

"Ahem...Katsuo-sama?"

Katsuo finally broke eye contact and turned towards the Anbu who had just entered the room. "I heard you the first time. I was just waiting for you to continue," Katsuo said.

The Anbu nodded, keeping his eyes expressionless as per his training. The rest of his face was covered by the usual Suna Anbu cloth that draped from one ear to another and tucked under his turban. "Yes. I'm here to report that we followed your daughter-"

"Please refer to her as the target," Katsuo corrected.

"Right. Sorry. We followed the target and her group. They indeed went towards the Demon Desert before taking on the mission to Konoha."

"Were you able to spot the entrance to the First's Tomb?"

"No. We actually had to stop trailing her midway through her journey."

Katsuo's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because there was another group following her too. We had to disperse in order to not be detected by either parties. However, we were able to observe this new group at a careful distance…"

"And?!"

"And it seems they are also after the First's Tomb but it's hard to tell if we should consider them to be hostile towards your dau-I mean...the target."

Katsuo sighed. "Is that all you have to report?"

That took the Anbu aback and he couldn't contain his surprise. "Er...yes...sir...That is all."

Katsuo nodded and motioned the Anbu to leave. He didn't care how cold and emotionless he appeared to be about Hitomi's safety. He just wasn't surprised. That's all.

He knew that once word had spread about Hitomi's kekkei tota, it was only a matter of time before those who follow the lore of the First's Tomb seek her out. Sending the Anbu to track her and find the entrance themselves was just part of the plan to thwart the others. Get to it before they can get to her.

Kicking her out of the house was also part of the plan. The more distance he created between the two, the easier it would be for those who seek the First's Tomb to reveal themselves.

Everything he did was for her good...for the good of the village. If only other people could see that, especially his own daughter. Especially his own wife.

Now that he was alone in the room, Katsuo let out a great sigh and returned to look at the statue of the First. Then he slowly moved his gaze to the recently erected statue of the Fourth. Rasa-sama...we both did what we thought best for the village ahead of our own families. Now you've left me to atone for our failure and I will admit...our decision was a failure. Gaara is a mistake that I will fix.

He turned and looked at the round table, specifically his own seat. The seat of the Hatsu leader. If I hadn't taken that seat away from Rika...if she had still been on the Council, maybe none of this-

His fists clenched to his sides and he scowled at himself for such foolish thoughts. Although Rika was the most outspoken voice against making Gaara the jinchuuriki, her opinion wouldn't have changed the current situation of the village. Regardless of whether or not Gaara was a jinchuuriki, Sunagakure was severely wounded financially.

He and the Fourth Kazekage had only done what they thought best to increase the power of Sunagakure, to incentivise the daimyo and the rest of the country to utilize Suna's resources instead of turning towards other hidden villages.

However, Rika didn't seem to see it that way. She had led a very successful campaign amongst the Council and was beginning to dissuade the majority of the members to not allow this. It seemed it wasn't going to happen until Rika, herself, became pregnant.

The other members, who was for the jinchuuriki plan, had started to argue that she was biased by her own maternal instincts. She was putting the safety of a child before the security of the village. They petitioned for her to be removed and have Katsuo, instead, take her place on the Council. All Katsuo had to do was decline the offer and they would have to re-petition, giving Rika more time to argue her case.

But he didn't.

How could he when he agreed with Kage and the rest of the Council? Rika was putting Karura and Gaara's well being ahead of Suna. That is not what a Council member should do. If she couldn't see that, maybe her judgement was clouded and she needed to step away.

He realized in doing so, he would drive a wedge between him and his family but that was something he was willing to do for the sake of the village. The fact that he was not certain his own wife would ever be willing to make the same sacrifice solidified Katsuo's decision in taking her spot on the Council. He was more qualified and with a sounder mind to lead the Hatsu tribe. He was sure of it.

Katsuo took a deep breath and straightened up his posture. Yes. He was faced with the same problem now and he would still make the same decision. He was determined to create a new jinchuuriki or do whatever it takes to increase the power of Sunagakure. Put it back near the top of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, if not the very top.

Gaara might've been a failure but what's to say that the next child would be. He just needed to find a stronger candidate.

With that being said, he needed to get rid of Gaara first, which was easier said than done given that this was a task that the previous Kage couldn't even do. However, Katsuo wasn't fazed. After all, he had something Rasa-sama didn't have. He had the Guardian.

Let the other council members, who were vying to be the next Kage, dispatch their minions and attempt to kill the monster. Katsuo was sure none of them would succeed. None of them had a plan except him.

Yes, he had a plan and it was already in place. It was only a matter of time. He just had to wait for the right time to strike.

* * *

"Tamotsu sensei? What are you doing?" Hitomi asked curiously as Tamotsu leaned out the window of the Hokage's office and glanced back and forth at the village.

"I'm checking to see if hell and earth froze over," Tamotsu said and then pulled himself back into the room, ignoring the unamused look of the new Hokage at her desk, "Because I'd never thought I'd see that one be so composed."

He grinned at the top of Akira's head, which was pointed directly at the legendary medical nin. Akira's posture was unwavering and he kept his waist bent and his hands at his side. He had even tightened the wrapping of his yukata so that the neckline was much more modest.

"It is an honor to meet you, Tsunade-sama," he said with utmost sincerity and not in his usual sing song manner, "My name is Akira and I am a medical nin at Sunagakure. Please let me study your work on chakra manipulation for the reticular activating system."

"Eh?" Tsunade folded her hands together and shifted more towards the edge of her seat. She darted a quick glance at Shizune "So you're the gifted medical nin Shizune has told me about. The one who was able to do a cell reactivation jutsu out in the field?"

Akira straightened up. "Yes. That was me. I am very eager to learn more about chakra manipulation for the-"

"Reticular Activating System. Yes, I heard you the first time," Tsunade said, "And exactly why do you want to know how to resuscitate someone from a vegetative state?...Or should I ask, who are you looking to revive?"

From either side of Akira, his team members, Tamotsu, Temari, and Kankuro all looked at him in surprise. Only Gaara kept his eyes on the Hokage. Akira's lips pursed for a second and then his hand went up to touch the fabric flower tucked in his hair. "My little sister...Emi."

"How long has she been in that state?"

"Three years."

"What caused it?"

There was a pregnant pause before Akira spoke. "A building fell on her during an evacuation."

Even Hitomi was unable to control herself and she let in a strangled gasp. Three years ago was the most destructive encounter with Shukaku. Her focus went to Gaara, whose sand-like chakra had quickened in it's spiralling state.

"So you've been studying medical ninjutsu ever since?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Shizune. Go get my first three cases regarding chakra manipulation in that area," Tsunade said.

"Right away Tsunade-sama," Shizune said and she scurried out of the room with Tonton at her heels.

"Really? That easy?!" Akira's surprise took over for a split second and his hands went to his cheeks, "You wouldn't tease a girl, would you?!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Shizune had warned her about this part about him. "Easy is the last thing I would call what I'm about to give you. I am only sharing with you my first three case reports. I will not answer any questions. I will not give any guidance. What you take away from it is entirely on you. Are we clear?"

Akira nodded fervently and clasped his hands in front of him. "Yes, Tsunade-sama. Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

"As for the rest of you," Tsunade said and ran her eyes through the group of young shinobis in front of her, "I actually just received word from your village."

She pulled out a scroll from a desk drawer and handed it to Tamotsu. "I believe you've been given additional orders."

"Those old bats just won't leave us alone," Tamotsu grumbled as he opened up the scroll, "I asked for one week of peace and yet…"

His voice trailed off as he read the contents. He then looked at the Hokage, who nodded to confirm that she was aware of the news.

"Well...that's unexpected…" Tamotsu said slowly and then grinned, "But not terrible."

"What? What's going on?" Kankuro demanded. His patience was beginning to run out. All he wanted to do was get dismissed by the Hokage so they can head back to the village. They had already told her everything about their rescue mission so what else is left?

At that moment, Shizune returned with three leather bound books. Each of them was as thick as a tree trunk. "Here it is, Akira-kun. The first three case reports."

Only Kankuro and Temari balked at the sight of it. "How...how long is that going to take for you to read through?!" Kankuro couldn't help but ask.

"I would say three months, if you really push yourself," Tsunade answered on Akira's behalf.

"I would say four…" Akira said as his knees buckled a little from the weight of the book. Sena swiftly took one of the books away from Akira to lighten the load, "Whew. Thank you, Sena-kun."

"No...three months...You will finish it in three because that's how much time the Council is giving us," Tamotsu said and closed up the scroll. He held it up between his index finger and thumb. It burst into flames and disintegrated into ashes.

"What do you mean, Tamotsu-sensei?" Hitomi asked.

"We are being assigned to stay here for the next three months and that includes you three as well," Tamotsu said with a nod in Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara's direction.

"What?!" the older two Sand Siblings gasped.

"I've already arranged for your housing," Tsunade said, "And if there's any resources that you might need, just let me- Actually, just let Shizune know and she can help arrange it."

Tamotsu scratched his chin. "Now that you mention it. I would like a place for training if possible. Preferably an area furthest away from the village."

"There's a training ground at the farthest end of the forest you could use," Tsunade replied, "I'll let our ground keepers know."

"Hold it!" Kankuro cried and he raised his hand up in protest, "Exactly why are we being asked to stay here for three whole months?!"

"Most likely to show a united front to the other nations and that there is no bad blood between Suna and Konoha even after the events of the Chunin Exams," Hitomi said softly, "But also, to build a relationship internally as well. We could lend some support given that some of their shinobis would be in intensive recovery for a bit."

Tsunade's hands clasped together tighter. These political nuances would take some getting use to. However, this girl in front of her seemed to grasp it fairly quickly. "What was your name again?"

"Hitomi Saboten, Hokage-sama," Hitomi replied and bowed her head.

"Saboten…" Tsunade mused, "Only one family in Suna still keeps to their last name. You're related to the First Kazekage, aren't you?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Open your eyes."

The command was so unexpected that Hitomi didn't think she heard right. "Excuse me?"

Tsunade got up from her desk and she walked over towards Hitomi. She knelt down so she was eye level to her. "Let me take a look at your eyes."

"There's nothing you can do, Hokage-sama. The doctors-" Hitomi started to say.

"I'll be the judge of that," Tsunade said and took out a small flashlight pen from her pocket.

"Very well."

Hitomi slowly opened her eyes and waited patiently for the verdict she knew was coming. From the corner of her mind, she could see Gaara's sand churn even faster.

"Hrmm interesting," Tsunade said as she flicked the light back and forth between Hitomi's eyes, "Your condition is the most severe case I've seen thus far. Would you allow me to do some tests?"

The sand quickened even more.

"What type of tests?" Hitomi asked, "Anything painful?"

"Oh no. Nothing like that," Tsunade said and the sand started to slow, "It's all just to see the reflexes of your ocular nerves. They are all intact and functioning...just the signal you receive is vastly different to what we see. It's very interesting. I mean, there's a small chance I can restore your ability of sight but…"

"But even if it was successful, it would mean she would lose her Sensory Jutsu for sure...and a high chance she wouldn't be able to manipulate chakra at all," Akira finished.

"I'd rather not take that risk," Hitomi said.

Tsunade nodded. "I understand and agree with your decision."

There was a knock on the door and a shinobi with spiky black hair and a bandage across his nose poked his head in. "Ah, sorry to bother you, Hokage-sama, but-"

"It's okay. I was just wrapping up with these people," Tsunade said and she nodded at Shizune, "Can you take them to their housing unit?"

"Of course," Shizune said, "Come with me!"

* * *

"Oy...you…"

Shizune had shown them the way to the apartment building and had given them their respective keys before heading back to the Hokage's office. They were staying next door from each other with Team Tamotsu in one room and the Sand Siblings in the other. They were all about to make their way into their temporary homes but Gaara's voice stopped all of them.

"Your...sister...That was because of me, wasn't it?" he asked slowly, with his eyes fixated on Akira.

Akira took a deep breath. "A building collapsed on her. Not you."

"But that...that was because of me."

"In an indirect way, yes," Akira said.

"Do you hate me?"

"I don't have time to," Akira replied and readjusted the three thick books in his hands for emphasis, "Maybe after I bring Emi-chan back...but not now. My focus is on more important things. And speaking of which, I have some reading to catch up on, so I'll say goodnight to you all now."

With that, he walked into the room, leaving his team in the hallway.

"It's good to know there's some things that the boy takes seriously. Didn't even bother asking about dinner even though he was griping about his stomach during the whole trip here," Tamotsu sighed and then turned to Sena, "You wouldn't know how to cook now would you?"

The monk nodded his head.

"Excellent. Then you're in charge of dinner," Tamotsu said with a grin and then he nodded at Temari, "Alright. I'll see you guys all bright and early tomorrow morning for training. We're-"

"Training for what?!" Temari demanded, "My brothers and I are well beyond genin level. We don't need any training."

"Say that after you get past tomorrow's training," Tamotsu said and then made his way into the room, "See ya tomorrow!"

Hitomi tilted her head curiously to the side and then she nodded her head at the Sand Siblings. "I guess I'll see you all tomorrow then."

"Hitomi Saboten."

"Yes, Gaara-san?"

"There's a guy here I want you to meet."

"Oh?"

"Once I find out where he is, would you come with me to meet him?"

"Of course. What is his name?"

"Rock Lee."


	18. The Hourglass Test

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Kankuro mumbled. He adjusted the binds on his back that strapped his puppets to him while he and his siblings leapt from tree branch to tree branch, "We're already recognized as chunins with some talks of us becoming jonins fairly soon so why are we wasting time with these newbies?"

"I don't like it either," Temari said calmly, "But we have no other choice. The Council has put Tamotsu in charge. Besides all we have to do is pass today's training and then we won't have to be bothered with this anymore."

"Must we always follow orders and listen to a room full of old, crotchety men?" Kankuro sighed.

"Don't be insubordinate!" Temari lectured, "To be a shinobi means to follow the instructions of their commanders!"

"Even when they are wrong?"

Gaara's sudden participation in the conversation caught Kankuro off guard and he got clotheslined by an incoming branch while Temari just stopped on the next branch. Gaara followed her lead and he stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

"Does a shinobi follow the instructions even if the commander is wrong?" he asked again.

"There is no right or wrong. Only orders. That's the rule of the shinobi," Temari said before sprinting ahead, "Come on. We're going to be late."

Gaara said nothing else after that. Even when they arrived at the training ground to find that the genins were having a little tea party. The three of them were sitting around a blanket with an opened picnic basket at the center.

"Ah! Good morning, everyonnneee," Akira sang as he waved around a rice cracker in his hand.

"Good morning," Hitomi said with a small nod while she cupped a tea mug, "I hope you all slept well."

_Good morning._

"What?! What is this?" Kankuro demanded, jumping down from the branch and landing on the edge of the blanket.

_We are having some refreshments to maintain our blood sugar level._

"Your blood sugar?" Temari asked as she gaped at the scroll in Sena's hands.

"Yep. We have to make sure we're in optimum health and have a healthy diet. Last time Tamotsu Sensei tried to train us, he made us starve for days! _Days!_ " Akira emphasized the last word with a roll of his eyes.

"It had only been just one, Akira Nee-chan," Hitomi corrected and then took a sip of hot green tea, "It wasn't that bad."

"See? The fact that you think it wasn't that bad must mean you've gone longer without food," Akira said and gathered handfuls of crackers and sweets onto a plate, "Must be why you're so tiny, Chibi-chan. Lack of nutrition."

"It's more likely sleep deprivation," Hitomi said and being without site, she didn't notice the shared look Kankuro and Temari passed before they shot a quick glance over to their younger brother.

"How can you guys have refreshments when we haven't even had breakfast yet?!" Kankuro complained, despite helping himself to some of the snacks.

"We were up before the sun rose," Hitomi replied.

"Doing what?" Kankuro asked.

"Studying," Akira said.

_Meditating._

"Observing," Hitomi said and then tilted her head to the side, "The landscape here in Konoha is drastically different than Suna."

"Landscape?" Temari repeated and raised her eyebrow, "You can't even see the landscape. How would you know?"

"I didn't mean the terrain, even though it is more difficult for me to get around than if we were walking around the desert.," Hitomi clarified, "I meant the population of Konoha. It's a lot busier here and their clan system means that similar chakra types seem to group together more often than not. It's fascinating how different life is in this village."

"Of course it's different," Kankuro scoffed, "We're not in the middle of a barren wasteland covered in sand."

"Kankuro!" Temari said with a disapproving frown, "Have more respect for your own village. Have some pride!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kankuro grunted as Sena handed him a cup of tea, "I'll work on it."

"Well, it looks like I arrived just in time."

From overhead, leaves floated down onto the ground. As the first leaf was just about to land, Tamotsu appeared in the center of the group, crushing the picnic basket with his landing, sending bits of crackers and green tea flying every which way.

"Kya!" Akira screeched as he blocked his face with one of his kimono sleeves while shielding Hitomi's face with the other. Then, when it was safe, he glared over his arm at his sensei, "Do you know how long it takes to put on my face in the morning, Sensei?!"

"Good morning to ya too," Tamotsu drawled back without budging from his spot, "Alright. Are ya guys ready to start the training?"

"Let's get this over with," Kankuro sighed as Tamotsu's own team members got to their feet and nodded, ignoring the mess underfoot.

"Like I said yesterday, if you three complete this exercise," Tamotsu said with a pointed look at Temari, then Kankuro, and finally Gaara, "I won't bother you guys with anymore the rest of the time we're here. However if you fail…"

His expression turned into a mischievous grin and he locked eyes with Temari, "You will continue to train under me and report to me while we are stationed here. Understood?"

"Yes," Temari said stonily.

"What is the exercise, Tamotsu Sensei?" Hitomi asked.

Tamotsu grinned and pulled out a thick scroll. He unrolled it on the ground to reveal a large seal at the center with the character "Test" imprinted at the center. "It's the hourglass test," he said.

Immediately, Temari rolled her eyes in exasperation."The hourglass test? We've already did that with Baki years ago."

"And we _passed_!" Kankuro added.

Tamotsu held up a finger. "The _first_ part of the hourglass test," he said and then flicked his finger in Hitomi, Akira, and Sena's direction, "Is for those three to complete…"

Tamotsu then held up a second finger and grinned at Temari. "Your task is to complete the second test."

"There's a _second_ hourglass test?" Kankuro asked in disbelief.

"Wh...what's the first hourglass test, Tamotsu Sensei?" Hitomi asked while Akira's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Not the hourglass test…" he wailed.

"You've done it before, Akira Nee-chan?" Hitomi asked.

"Yeah...when I was placed in my first team," Akira pouted, "But then none of my team members passed it so we got disbanded right then and there."

"You...what?!" Hitomi gasped.

Tamotsu nodded gravely. "And those terms apply to you three this time too. If any of ya fail this test, you will be kicked out of this team and another more suitable shinobi will take your place. That includes even you, Hito."

"Even me?" Hitomi whispered.

"If you can't pass _this_ test, Hito," Tamotsu said, "Then I've failed ya as a teacher. It would be a good thing for you to transfer to another team and maybe learn from someone else."

Hitomi straightened up her spine and folded her hands together. "Okay...Please explain the hourglass test then."

"You each are assigned an hourglass with a scroll nestled somewhere in the sand," Tamotsu said, "There's a word covering the scrolls. Each scroll has a different word. Your task is to find out what word your hourglass contains _without_ breaking the hourglass. There's also a line etched around the bottom of the hourglass. The sand must not go past that line which means you can't wait for all the sand to clear to the bottom to read the scroll. It'll take roughly 3 minutes for the sand to go past that line."

"So the hourglass also acts as a timer for us," Akira sighed, "But I wouldn't know. I broke mine 10 seconds into the test."

"10 seconds?!" Hitomi gasped and behind her, Kankuro let out a loud snort.

"It's more delicate than it looks!" Akira huffed and folded his arms across his chest.

"Alright then. Sena, you'll take the one on the right since you're standing directly in front of it," Tamotsu ordered, "Hito, you'll take the middle one and that leaves the the one of the left to Akira. Needless to say, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro...Don't be giving any hints."

"Like we would want to," Kankuro scoffed.

"How tall is the hourglass and how far away will it be from me?" HItomi asked.

"It's-" Akira started to say but Tamotsu raised a hand to stop him.

"You'll find out when the test begins, Hito...and it begins, now!" Tamotsu said and placed his hands on the seal, "Release!"

With a puff of smoke, three towering hourglasses appeared side by side in between Tamotsu and his three students.

The hourglasses were each 7 feet tall with thin, clear glass all around. Each one looked exactly the same as each other with the top half almost completely filled with sand that was already begun to trickle down. It was flat on the top but completely spherical at the bottom.

"KYA! You gave us no warning time!," Akira cried.

"Ninja Art: Binding Word," Sena said, alarming Temari and Kankuro with his booming voice while Gaara only turned his head to give the monk his full attention. Sena took out his brush and scroll and wrote out the character of "BIND".

As soon as his brush lifted from the scroll, the ends of each stroke started to stretch off of the scroll and wind its way towards his assigned hourglass. It wrapped around the glass but stayed there, unable to penetrate and bind around the sand. It started to wobble to and fro with the top coming scarily close to smashing against the ground. Sena hurriedly leapt forward.

"Be careful! It's very fragile!" Akira shrieked just as Sena caught the rocking top glass in his arms and gently moved it back to a steady, standing position.

Akira shrieked when he saw a slight crack near where Sena's elbow was against the glass "KYA! You almost broke yours already. Be careful, Sena-kun!"

However, Sena's attention was on the black ink that was still wrapped around the glass. "This is no ordinary glass," he stated.

"I can see that," Hitomi said.

"Wait. You can?!" Akira shrieked and waved his hand in front of Hitomi's eyes.

She grabbed him by the wrist to stop him from blocking anymore of her view as she kept her gaze pointed at her own hourglass. "Yes...There's a protective layer of chakra flowing along the inside of the glass. That's why Tamotsu Sensei said I'll find out once the test begins. I can see the shapes and position of each hourglass. They are made from a special glass discovered by the First using a specific sand type found in the depths of the Demon Desert."

"Oh dear," Akira said as he ran towards his own hourglass and started to circle around it, "I can see the very top of my scroll but it's completely rolled up. How in the world am I supposed to open it without breaking this damn thing?!"

"I'm thinking, Akira Nee-chan," Hitomi said softly as her fingers steepled together and tucked under her chin, "Please just give me some time."

"Time is just what we don't have! Luck too!" Akira wailed, "Just look at Sena-kun! He's almost broken his."

Hitomi's attention moved to Sena, who was still holding onto his hourglass and Hitomi noticed that he actually wasn't holding it directly upright.

"Sena-kun! If you tilt it more, you can slow down the sand!" Hitomi shouted suddenly, "Hurry! Buy yourself some time! You too, Akira-Nee-chan!"

"But what about your's, Chibi-chan? Can you maybe make a glass pillar or something to hold it up?" Akira asked.

"I'll risk breaking the glass since it's so fragile so don't worry about mine," Hitomi said hurriedly as her brows furrowed, "If we can at least slow down you two's, you guys will have a chance to pass! I can maybe figure out mine by figuring out yours'."

"That's too risky!" Akira said, "I like our team! If someone leaves, it changes everything! Wahhh! I don't wanna fail again. I don't wanna be on a team without Chibi-chan. I don't wanna be on a team without Sena-kun!"

Sena blushed behind his mask but that didn't stop him from nodding in agreement.

Hitomi's head lifted and she tilted her head to the side. "What did you just say?"

"I said I didn't want to fail again," Akira cried.

"He said he liked us," Sena said

"Exactly, Sena-kun...He said he liked our _team_!" Hitomi said and dropped her hands and rushed over to Akira, "We need to work as a team! Sena-kun, tilt yours! We'll start with yours!"

"What?" Akira asked as Hitomi went right by Sena's legs and then dropped to her hands and knees.

"Lean the bottom against me for more support," HItomi said, "That way it's less weight for you and less pressure for you to put on the point of contact. While we do that, Akira-kun, can you look in to see if you can spot the scroll?"

"Sure," Sena said as Akira followed Hitomi's instructions. The monk rushed over just as the sands tilted to the side, exposing the top quarter of a rolled up blue scroll, "I can see there's a white paper rolled around it but I can't see what's written on it yet!"

"More! We need to tilt it more!" Hitomi said as she scooted herself further away from the hourglass so more of it could lean against her.

"Steady...steady, Sena-kun!" Akira cautioned as Sena lowered the hourglass even more, causing some more sand to flow to the sides of the scroll, revealing the word, "I see it! I see it! The word is 'Village'! Sena-kun! Your word is 'Village'!"

"Hurry! We have to go to the next ones!" Hitomi said as Sena and Akira carefully moved the 'Village' hourglass to its upright position.

Hitomi rushed over towards Akira's hourglass but then she came to a halt when she realized that Sena and Akira did not follow her and instead were standing in front of hers.

"Wait, but Akira Nee-chan, we need to do yours!" she protested, "There's definitely time for us to do a second one but not likely a third."

"There's no time to argue, Chibi-chan!" Akira said, "We have to do this together or not at all and we can't tilt your hourglass without you."

"But-"

"Hurry, Chibi-chan, or else you and I will both get tossed out and then we'll leave poor Sena-kun by himself," Akira huffed. He grabbed Hitomi by the wrist and pulled her towards Sena.

"Akira Nee-chan…" Hitomi whispered as she got down on her hands and knees, "What if you fail again?"

"Then I'll just keep nagging Tamotsu Sensei until he lets me back into the team. He'll miss me just as much as you guys will anyways. I just know it," Akira said brightly as the sands started to tilt and reveal the scroll inside, "Okay. Chibi-chan, your word is 'Country'!"

"Quick. We need to get to Akira Nee-chan's before time runs out!" Hitomi said, fighting the urge to stand up and race towards the last hourglass while she waited for Akira and Sena to right hers up again.

"There!" Akira breathed as him and Sena moved their hands away from the hourglass and Hitomi got to her feet.

Just as they each took a step towards the last hourglass, Tamotsu stepped in their way. "Time," he said.

"Already?" Hitomi exclaimed as her fists clenched at her side.

Sena crouched low next to the last hourglass and he positioned his eyes right where the line was etched near the bottom. Sure enough, the sand's peak was pointed past it. He looked up wide eyed at Akira, who placed a hand on Hitomi's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Chibi-chan," Akira said quietly as he rested a hand on her shoulder, "I'm afraid Tamotsu Sensei is correct."

"But...But…"

"I'm sorry, Akira. Truly," Tamotsu said with a sigh, "There's nothing left for me to do but ask you to go back to the village and-"

"I'm going with him!" Hitomi interjected, "Kick me off the team too!"

Tamotsu's eyes widened. "Hito! Don't be stubborn .If you leave this team, it doesn't guarantee that you'll get teamed up with Akira again and what about Sena?! You're going to leave him behind?"

"I'll leave too," Sena said with a raise of his hand and Tamotsu's jaw dropped.

"You too?! But you passed, Sena-kun! Hito, _you_ passed! Don't you guys want to-"

"Akira Nee-chan said it. We either do this together or not at all," Hitomi said, "And I don't see any feasibility of me working in any other group without Akira Nee-chan's skills. A team without her might as well be a team without me. "

"Chibi-chan! Did you just call me 'her'?!" Akira gasped as his hands went to his face.

"I believe my path is tied intrically to Hitomi's," Sena said with a bow of his head, "Without her, there is no purpose for me to be here and I shall return to the temple."

Tamotsu slapped a hand over his face and he heaved a big sigh. "Ya guys are killing me with this. Ugh. Fine!" he sighed, "Ya leave me no choice but to say...Ya pass."

His hand fell to the side, revealing a bright, beaming smile directed at his three genins.

"Huh?" Akira blinked as the corners of Hitomi's lips tilted upwards.

"The third word...was 'Comrades', wasn't it?" Hitomi asked.

"Gah! I should've known you figured out the real test behind the test," Tamotsu grunted but kept the smile on his face.

"What? Test behind the test?" Akira asked as he glanced between Sena and Hitomi, "Sena-kun, do you know what they're talking about?"

Sena shook his head.

"Ah," Tamotsu said, "'Village', 'Country', 'Comrades'...Those are just different things a shinobi would fight for...what they would fight to protect. This test was to see if you could push aside your own personal agendas and work together as a group."

"Chibi-chan! You knew that and you still wanted to go to my hourglass instead of yours?" Akira asked.

Hitomi nodded. "Even though I knew the possibility of us getting separated was extremely unlikely, I still didn't want to put you at risk, Akira Nee-chan. I'd have rathered put myself in that position…"

"Oh, you are just too _cuuute!_ " Akira shrieked as he pulled Hitomi and Sena in for a tight hug, "Yay for Team Cute!"

"We are _not_ called Team Cute!" Tamotsu shouted, "We aren't called anything!"

"We really should," Akira sighed, "How about Team-"

"OY! Can't you guys discuss this afterwards?" Kankuro's interjection brought the attention back to him, Temari and Gaara.

"Oh dear. I forgot you guys were here, Purple Face," Akira said with a hand to his cheek.

"Ah yes...It's your turn now," Tamotsu said as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back to study the Sand Siblings, "Alright...Ready for your test?"

"What do we have to do?" Temari asked.

Tamotsu smiled. "Break the bottoms without spilling a grain of sand."


End file.
